The Lord of the Rings has been one of the most popular franchises to ever be referenced in different forms of media alongside Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and other book series. However, one entertainment broker thinks that The Lord of the Rings franchise can be as big as Marvel or Star Wars.
Why LOTR [Can Be] As Big As Marvel and Star Wars
ACF Investment Bank CEO Thomas Dey told Deadline that Lord of the Rings “is one of around six pieces of IP of this magnitude on the planet,” as its IP was handed over to the Sweden’s Embracer Group.
According to Dey, the franchise can reach the $6B-plus scale of Marvel and Star Wars. Embracer picked up its motion picture, video game, board game, merchandizing, theme parks and stage production rights related to the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit franchises over the summer, as well as the rights in other Middle-earth-related literary works authorized by Tolkien Estate and HarperCollins weeks before Amazon’s Rings of Power TV series was launched. Read Thomas Dey’s keynote below:
Although Embracer’s focus is more on gaming, as CEO Lars Wingerfors said it is the company’s “strongest area of growth and monetization”, they are open to more opportunities surrounding ‘transmedia’ projects.
Thomas Dey Says The Deal Reflected the Major Shift in the TV and Film
“The deal was so secret that we were interviewed in the dark and didn't know what the asset was.” Thomas Dey says, pertaining to the time when Middle-earth Enterprises first approached ACF.
He also said that there remains to be ‘grey areas’ still being ironed out.
The deal reflected a major shift in the TV and film world as it moves from ‘peace and escapism’ to ‘immersive experience’, with Embracer taking this to their advantage.