Made-for-TV movies make a comeback

Call it the High School Musical effect, if you will. Not only has the made-for-TV Disney musical spawned two sequels (one theatrical that's grossed upwards of US$245 million worldwide since its October 2008 release) and helped revive the tween live-action market, it seems to have ushered in a new age for kids movies made to order for the small screen. There's no doubt that HSM is a franchise that keeps on giving, with a fourth movie in the works and a booming consumer products business that has now surpassed US$650 million annually at retail. Other kidnets like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon have been quick to follow. CN, for example, has a slate of live-action movies in the hopper that include Scooby-Doo: The Beginning and several movies being adapted from comic books. Nick, meanwhile, bowed its first musical Spectacular! last month. So, it's no wonder that prodcos that once concentrated on pitching series ideas are starting to look at developing small-screen film franchises.