Archive for November 3rd, 2009

Halcyon Co. has announced its plans to put its Terminator franchise rights up for auction in January. The company has been forced to do this after filing Chapter 11 in September. No parties have proclaimed interest in the franchise just yet, but it is reported to be worth around $70 million. Halcyon will announce its minimum starting bid price on November 20th.

The most recent Terminator film, Terminator Salvation, cost $200 million to produce and grossed $371 million worldwide, proving that the franchise is still capable of making significant profit. The rights would also include, though, merchandise, DVDs, and TV shows.

One thing that makes the franchise particularly attractive is that it has absolutely no ties to any studios. It is the only franchise its size with no partial or total ownership by a studio. Halcyon has said that will also consider recapitalizing as an option if a bidder was willing to propose doing so.

Source: Variety

Quick Opinion: Because the franchise is still making money, and the fifth film is already being written, you can bet that somebody will pay up for the rights to one of Hollywood’s more storied brands. Halcyon’s bankruptcy should only slightly delay the production of the next film, if even that. So really, fans and moviegoers shouldn’t feel any affect from this at all. Worst case scenario is that Halcyon sets its minimum starting bid too high and no bidders offer that amount, which could lead to an elongation of the process. However, even in this economy, it’ll be shocking if Halcyon Co. still owns the rights to Terminator come March.