Listen fellas, I’m no stranger to the cinephile, uber dork , and geekdom culture. I’ve been a member of the 501st since 2007 and I’ve been to every con and comic show and cosplay event there is and you can name. I know dudes that go to LebowskiFest, which is an annual event. I’ve been on RPF for 15 years. All that said, I think I have my finger
on the pulse of pop culture and what licenses do and do not move the needle for large numbers of people.
That is not to say that there isn’t a loyal following to a particular movie. That isn’t to say that replica cars from certain movies and shows aren’t highly prized and collectible and outlandishly priced. All very true. But BTTF is not, on the grand scale of pop culture fandoms, anywhere near the behemoth some here will have us believe. It isn’t close to Indiana Jones, for example - a license having produced two machines.
And give me a break on certain items being produced for BTTF or a gathering of celebs at a con. Firefly gets that same treatment and was a tiny property. Godzilla has had posters and figures and merch released on Mondo literally in the last week that sold out in seconds. You don’t dig Godzilla. Cool. But to suggest it’s a niche or “left field” license is absurd. It’s massive and ubiquitous and global - a perfect international recipe. I’m not in any way suggesting I don’t like BTTF (the sequels blow, but I digress). But I am saying that it’s just not a heavy-hitter property and there is no comparison here between the two potential licenses. Wanna know how I know? Gary licensed Godzilla and gave it to his MVP and is pumping the hell out of it behind the scenes to the distros.