The new Peter Rabbit movie exceeded all expectations notching up £7.24 million over its three opening days. According to Sony Pictures, the opening was bigger than those for the first Paddington movie, The BFG and Zootropolis.
These figures certainly bode well for licensees for both the CGI animation movie licence as well as those who have tapped into Beatrix Potter’s classic creations, igniting a resurgence in popularity of Peter Rabbit.
Paperchase made the most of the Easter run up with its range of classic Peter Rabbit merchandise; Danilo, which produced cards based on the Peter Rabbit movie artwork, received great exposure on the card racks while UK Greetings has high hopes for its licensed card range, based on the classic depictions of Peter and friends.
Sarah Johnson, licensing manager at UKG commented: “We are delighted to work with such a beautiful property. There’s a wealth of stunning Peter Rabbit artwork from the archives, which we’re excited to turn into greeting cards, gift wrap and bags. This is a fantastic opportunity and we can’t wait to see the finished product out at retail.”
Danilo launched its new range of Peter Rabbit cards and calendars based on the movie and TV series at Spring Fair this year. Brett Smith, sales director for Danilo told PG Buzz: “While it’s still too early to comment on how well sales are performing, we have been overwhelmed with the positive reaction we have received and the listings we have secured from the High Street, independent and supermarket sectors since launching our official Peter Rabbit range at Spring Fair this year.”
Susan Bolsover, licensing and consumer products director at Penguin Ventures, said about the success of the movie at the box office: “Peter Rabbit is a classic and much-loved character brand with unrivalled global awareness and this, together with Sony’s impressive PR and promotional campaign ensuring huge visibility for the movie, has secured a fantastic result.”
