Quoted from J85M:Franchi has also done some SM78 artwork maybe this is going to be the reveal at Expo? Although I had heard Beatles was the next Ka-Pow?
So maybe your right RD and Supes would be a cornerstone, although like you kind of said i would expect Cornerstrone release to be more modern and mainstream but we had an original GB release so who knows.
"Cornerstone" would be defined by games they know they can sell a huge number of, in the three versions. And keep making them for some time. The sort of game you'd expect to see at your local movie theatre.
DC Superman would be right up there with Ironman, GOTG, GOT, TWD as a strong licence.
Stern is clever enough to target the 40-60 year old cashed up buyer with KISS, AC/DC, Aerosmith as well. I bet they were surprised at how many Metallicas they sold. I remember when that was launched, 90% of people were WAYYY down on that theme. But the machine was awesome and people bought it, even if they didn't like the band.
BM66 was an experiment, I think ... to create a more niche product at a higher cost, aimed at more cashed up buyers. they sell less units, but make WAYYYY more profit per unit.
Hypothetical numbers: (based on some knowledge ...)
SW Pro - wholesale $4500, profit $500
BM66 Premium - wholesale $6600, profit is probably $2000 ish.
You can make the same profit on 1x BM66 wholesale sale as on 4x SW pro wholesale sales.
That's the dream scenario for any business ... make less products, but earn way more money.
rd