All dolled up: Barbie is hitting the big screen

4/4/23 8:00PM

All dolled up

‍The trailer for the new Barbie movie, set to debut this summer, sent social media into a spin yesterday over the increasingly impressive roster of cast members. That response will have been cheered at Mattel HQ, the company that sells billions of dollars worth of Barbie related toys every year, especially after Barbie sales slipped ~33% last quarter, following a pandemic boom.

Barbie is set to be played by Margot Robbie and Ken played by Ryan Gosling, but just like the toy itself, the starring role has numerous variations including Issa Rae as a presidential Barbie, Dua Lipa as a mermaid Barbie, with supporting roles for Helen Mirren, Will Ferrell and Michael Cera.

Life in Plastic

‍‍Mattel — which also owns Hot Wheels and American Girl — is keen to get what it can out of its most profitable line of business. The Barbie franchise spans books, apparel, cosmetics, video games and numerous films. Attempting to stay on the radar of younger generations, the doll even started a YouTube series in 2015 called Barbie Vlogger where she talks about her fictional life, fashion, friends and family.

Clearly, Mattel saw an opportunity at the box office, taking a page out of the Lego and Marvel playbooks in transferring Barbie to the big screen with a star-studded cast. In fact, Mattel’s CEO sees Marvel as a “good analogy” for his group’s strategy. If true, we could have 31 Barbie movies to watch in 15 years time.

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JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.