Merchandising!
Where the real money from the movie is made
“I love Spaceballs!” the barista says.
I tell her I love Spaceballs, too. That’s why I’m wearing an official “Spaceballs: the t-shirt.”
We discuss both sides of “The Schwartz,” the possibility that Mel Brooks may have had something profound to say about environmentalism by telling a story about an evil and incompetent leader who squandered his planet’s air supply, and the gift that was John Candy.
“Personally, I think we need a Spaceballs movie for every new Star Wars movie,” the barista says.
“Preach!”
“I’d watch the hell out of those,” she says. “And it’s not like the Star Wars universe is going to run out of shit to parody. Sure, the Star Wars fanboys will melt like little snowflakes if someone makes fun of their thing, but who cares? Those dudes suck, and I want to know if Princess Vespa and Lone Starr lived happily ever after, or if their kids had issues. I’m betting they had issues, just like Han and Leia’s kid, who was a real piece of work.”
“You are Yogurt-level wise,” I say. “You should be a running a studio.”
“I should be running a studio,” she says. “The box office on the new Spaceballs movies would be enough to pay off Pizza the Hut.”
“More,” I say. “They’d make way more than that what Lone Starr owed Pizza the Hut.”
“You think? People aren’t going to theaters like they used to because of the pandemic and streaming.”
“Forget box office, and forget streaming. Merchandising, merchandising! Where the real money from the movie is made.”
Of course, not all merchandising dollars flow to the studio. There’s piracy, for instance. But in the coffeeshop parking lot, I see that the California Department of Motor Vehicles is getting in on the merchandising action too.
A woman in a silver pickup truck pulls into the spot next to mine. Her vanity license plate reads: Zed’s Dead
I'm obsessed with Mel Brooks !!!!!!!!!!!
F%¥k just the very thought makes me wanna go binge! When people hear me ramble on about Mel Brooks they look at me funny and ask “Who that?” The Fly is a fave🔥🥰
I am a total freak for Mel Brook's movies. Been watching them since I was ten, and that was a long time ago. It would be difficult to say where Spaceballs falls into my favorite Mel Brooks flicks, but I can tell you that Young Frankenstein holds the number one spot. Marty Feldman for the win.