The movie “Gabby's Dollhouse” brings content frenzy for children to the big screen

A young woman named Gabby, next to her collection of animated cat friends, is making the jump of transmission to the big screen.

Universal And “Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie” by DreamWorks Animation is the latest children's television program that goes to the box office, following in the footsteps of Paramount PAW PATROL AND FRANQUICIAS OF SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS.

“We felt that the franchise had reached the point where there was enough Fandom to justify a theatrical event, and we wanted to expand the world,” said Margie Cohn, president of Dreamworks Animation, to CNBC.

Children's programming has become an increasingly important piece of the media landscape in recent years. As Linear TV has given way to transmission, studies are looking for ways to boost and maintain the growth of subscribers. For “Gabby's Dollhouse”, establishing a theatrical presence increases the consciousness of the brand, causes a new emotion of existing fans and stimulates new opportunities for products in the retail market.

“Gabby's Dollhouse”, created by the veterans of “Blue's Plues” Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey, threw themselves in Netflix In 2021. It is already executed for 11 seasons, and a November 12 will be held. Each season has six to 10 episodes, approximately 25 minutes each.

According to Nielsen, it has been the original most visualized transmission series for children this year.

Each episode begins with a live action gabby, played by Laila Lockhart Kraner, while performing a miniature package that causes an adventure in its magical dollhouse. She puts on her cat's ear, shrinks to become an animated character and joins her cat friends, named Gabby's Cats. Like many preschool shows, Gabby pauses to ask the audience and invite them to play.

All these elements appear in the complete feature film, which reached theaters on Friday. It fuses live animation and action, but on a larger scale.

Cohn said the goal was to create a theatrical experience, similar to a “'show of rocky horror images' for young children'. Invite them to sing, dance, clap.”

“Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie” opens at a time when the film's calendar has limited family options. The main most recent releases in this genre were “Freakier Friday” by Disney and “The Bad Guys 2” of Universal, both threw themselves in early August.

While there has been a constant flow of family rates in recent years, it occurs after a considerable dry spell caused by pandemic and Hollywood work strikes that close production. At the same time, consumer habits changed as transmission services grew in popularity and studies shorten the time it took for the films released in theaters to reach the local market.

But younger spectators are some of the most committed and main drivers to take families to the theater.

Children are also some of the most fervent transmission users, since they tend to see the same content again and again, which leads to a high commitment. That is why friendly programs for children have offered a unique value proposal for studies, even when traditional linear television and theatrical landscape have become less reliable.

Presenting your favorite characters in more places may mean spreading wealth and, ultimately, feeding your appetite for more.

“One only needs to look at the big small screen synergies that was created by 'Kpop Demon Hunters' to see how 'Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie' could make the leap of a small 2021 screen series to a large screen cinematographic event in 2025,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore.

A global theater launch not only serves to the strong domestic market, but extends the scope of “Gabby's Dollhouse” internationally. Cohn said Europe is a region where the show is winning traction.

“As a relatively new franchise with a remarkable scope to the world of marketing aimed at today's younger generations, this is a film that should capture the interest of that audience and continue showing its strengths as a new brand,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analysis of Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory.

And it can be a relatively affordable way to extend the scope of a franchise.

“Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie” had a production budget of just over $ 30 million, a small investment for the animation of Universal and Dreamworks compared to other films of theater children. For example, Disney Pixar franchise films and the other universal animation arm, lighting can cost more than $ 200 million to create.

“In Dreamworks, we know how to make an adequate budget,” Cohn said. “We make some really large, high -budget and audience animated films. But we also make smaller movies such as 'Captain Underpants' or the most recent with 'Dog Man'. We know how to make high quality movies for a lower price.”

Paramount Two Paw patrol films had equally small budgets, according to media reports. “Paw Patrol: The Movie”, launched in 2021, generated $ 40 million nationwide and more than $ 145 million worldwide, according to Comscore data. Meanwhile, “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” of 2023 raised $ 65 million nationwide and $ 200 worldwide.

Universal estimated that “Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie” caught $ 13.7 million for sale of national tickets during their first weekend. That is just less than $ 15 million to $ 25 million than box office analysts had predicted.

While theatrical income is important, bringing “Gabby's Dollhouse” to the big screen is part of a broader strategy. The content is part of an interconnected ecosystem that includes toys, books, goods and live events.

“I came from Nickelodeon,” Cohn said. “We studied the audience a lot, and we knew that they liked to see a program, but then they wanted to touch it, iterate it and experience the characters and ideas in their own way, in their own way. And so we developed the Gabby franchise to let them do exactly that.”

Dreamworks associated with Toy Company Spin Master to make a line of toys linked to “Gabby's Dollhouse”. The product range includes games, figures, stuffed animals, games and puzzles. Since its line launch, Spin Master has sold four million doll houses linked to the show.

Cohn said the animation of Dreamworks “nurtured and elaborated the success” for “Gabby's Dollhouse” Walmart.

“The series simply grew and grew and grew,” Cohn said. “And then it reaches a certain point that you can meet the expansion of larger strategic franchises with live entertainment and shows in museums and presence in parks and music, you know, everything that comes when you have a property to which children respond.”

“Gabby's Dollhouse” has been a preschool toy property among five of the last eight quarters, according to Circana data. It has been one of the 10 best properties for 10 consecutive rooms.

In addition to the toys, “Gabby's Dollhouse” has merchandise collections with Walmart, Aim and Amazon, They include clothes, home items, games and even toothbrushes. As the film goes to theaters, the public can buy cubes of theme corn, drinkers and other specialized articles.

The franchise has also become part of Universal's theme parks, with characters meetings with Gabby and retail areas where guests can buy headbands, luxurious and clothing.

And universal does not stop there. “Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie” establishes a bigger future for Gabby and a possible Spin-off series. As the film is credited, Gabby gives the final touches to a new dollhouse, a dog doll house that says that his little sister will love.

When asked about which “Gabby Dollhouse” fans can wait after revelation, Cohn joked: “You will have to wait and see.”

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of Fandango and Nbcuniversal, which CNBC has. Versant would become the new parent company of Fandango and CNBC in the Planned Versant Comcast Spin -off.