With ‘Ninja Turtles’ and ‘Paw Patrol,’ Paramount’s animated franchise strategy pays off

Earlier this summer, a set of five frozen pizza boxes began populating the freezers at Walmart. The pizzas were one element of Paramount’s marketing and consumer products blitz for this year’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” the first theatrical Turtles film since 2016. “We talk constantly about what’s happening in the film business, we talk about release dates, we talk about marketing, and it is a really collaborative approach when it comes to franchise films like Turtles and Paw Patrol,” said Pam Kaufman, president and CEO of international markets, global consumer products and experiences for Paramount. “Our company will get behind it across all platforms and all markets.” A still from “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” Robbins said he had to fight to get the first “Paw Patrol” movie and “Mutant Mayhem” made, lobbying and getting the support of Paramount Global Chief Executive Bob Bakish when others didn’t see the theatrical potential for preschooler and teen fare. “It’s showing overall that audiences want something that’s new and that’s fresh.” He also commended Paramount for being able to do “Mutant Mayhem” on smaller budgets than $200-million animated projects like Disney’s “Wish” and Pixar’s “Elemental.” If Paramount plays its cards right, Neumann says, the franchise successes should give the studio more freedom to take risks with new stories.