Why every beloved toy—from Monopoly to He-Man—is going to be a movie now

Branded is a weekly column devoted to the intersection of marketing, business, design, and culture. For years, Hollywood has bet that moviegoers really want the same old thing—sequels, reboots, Marvel and other franchises, and so on. But in the wake of Barbie’s $1.4 billion box office triumph, studios seem to be betting that moviegoers are ready for some new old things: movies based on familiar toys and games. By one count, Barbie-maker Mattel alone has over a dozen film...