IP (intellectual property), literally translated as "intellectual property", can be understood as a collective term for all influential and disseminated cultural and creative works (literature, film and television, animation, games, trendy toys, etc.). A good IP has a huge ability to attract fans and traffic, and it also has a strong ability to monetize business.
According to the 50 most profitable IPs in the world in 2023 released by wikimili (according to the financial data of listed companies, global third-party authoritative data statistics platforms, etc.), the total revenue reached 1,001.41 billion US dollars (about 7.15 trillion yuan).
On the whole, most of the IP ownership is in the hands of American and Japanese companies, and the Walt Disney Group (which acquired Marvel Studios, Twentieth Century Pictures, and Lucasfilm) is undoubtedly the biggest winner, Warner Media with Warner Bros. and DC, Paramount with Nickelodeon, Toy giants such as Mattel and Hasbro, as well as Japanese companies such as Nintendo, Bandai Namco, and Sanrio also have a place.
The 6-10 places on the list are Anpanman, Harry Potter, Barbie, Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Call of Duty. Barbie, born in 1987, is the "new face" of the list, ranking 8th with a revenue of $33.9 billion.
"Barbie", released on July 21 last year, set off a pink storm around the world, and is the only blockbuster in North America to grossing more than $600 million in 2023, and it is also the world's highest-grossing movie, earning $1.44 billion at the box office, beating "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "Oppenheimer".
Mattel is Barbie's IP licensor (licensed to Warner Bros.) and one of the filmmakers, making a lot of money. In the third quarter of 2023, revenue was US$1.919 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9%, and net profit was US$146 million, a year-on-year decrease of 50%, but compared with the continuous loss in the first half of the year, the performance has recovered significantly.
In 2-5 places are Mickey Mouse and his friends, Winnie the Pooh, Star Wars, and Disney princesses, all of whom belong to Disney. Among them, Disney princesses ranked fifth with a total revenue of $45.4 billion, which is one of the most recognizable trademarks of The Walt Disney Company, which gathers the heroines of various works under its name.
So far, there are 14 officially certified "Disney princesses", in addition to the well-known Snow White and Mulan, there are also Cindy (Cinderella), Arlo (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel (The Little Mermaid), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Jasmine (Aladdin's Lamp), Boga Conti (Lady of the Wind), Tiana (Princess and Frog), Lepe (Rapunzel), Merida (Legend of Bravery), Moana (Moana), Elsa and Anna (Frozen).
Since 2014, Disney has started the live-action "Princess Series", from "Maleficent" and "Cinderella" to "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin". As for "Mulan" and "The Little Mermaid", they suffered a double hit at the word-of-mouth box office, especially the latter caused an uproar in casting, and the live-action version of "Snow White", which was postponed to 2025, also had the same casting controversy. How to grasp the degree of tribute to classics and reasonable adaptation, and get rid of the stereotype of routine narrative and young age, is a question that Disney urgently needs to answer.
The world's largest IP: Pokémon, with a total revenue of 88 billion US dollars (about 628 billion yuan), the copyright company behind it, is the main shareholding company of Nintendo, mainly responsible for licensing and selling Pokémon series related goods.
Pokémon are also called Pokémon (other common unofficial translations: Pokemon, Pokemon, Pokémon). On February 27, 1996, Game Freak released Pokémon Red & Green on the Nintendo Game Boy platform, and after 27 years and nine generations of games, the series has more than 1,000 different Pokémon to capture and battle.
The scene of the 2023 Pokémon Shanghai Masters
It's worth mentioning that Pokémon cards are also very popular. It was born before the Yu-Gi-Oh series, and is currently available in 89 countries and regions around the world in 14 languages, with a cumulative global sales of more than 52.9 billion copies. A 1998 Pikachu card was sold at auction for $900,000.
In addition to games, "Pokémon has also launched animated and theatrical versions (including the live-action movie "Detective Pikachu"), science short films, picture books, YouTube channels and other content to expand its consumer base. Uniqlo, McDonald's, KFC and other brands are vying to co-brand with them, with products ranging from clothing, watches, jewelry, wedding rings, furniture, food, mobile phones, headphones, flights, hotels, amusement parks, and even art. It is no exaggeration to say that you can be in the world of Pokémon every day for as long as you want.
Source: Sanwen Entertainment