Manufacturers Chasing Blockbuster Revenue Must Get Wicked-Good At Moving Fast

Most people don’t realize how quickly cultural moments can ripple through the world of manufacturing. Take the new Wicked movie. Long before the first ticket was scanned, manufacturers were under pressure to produce an explosion of themed products—apparel, toys, cosmetics, limited-edition packaging, even advent calendars.

These high-production, limited-run moments represent the type of agility most manufacturers know they need, yet struggle to build.

Meanwhile, the same industry that sparks these cultural waves has become a master of rapid prototyping behind the scenes, spinning up props and set pieces in short order to keep productions staged and camera-ready.

Hollywood, as it turns out, offers some unexpected lessons for manufacturers.

Cultural Moments Demand Manufacturing Agility

When a cultural event like Wicked lands, manufacturers often must react very quickly to changing demands. It’s not uncommon that big events can instantly multiply SKU counts and require companies to flip their production mix almost overnight.

There is, of course, a heavy machinery component to just how well manufacturers are prepared. Some factories are equipped for both high-volume runs and quick changeovers that support limited-run items. But cultural spikes push that balance to the edge, and manufacturers should be constantly evaluating whether their shop floors match the demands of their customers.

But it’s not just about machinery, says Martin Balaam, CEO of product information management platform Pimberly. These big cultural moments test the constraints of a manufacturer’s business infrastructure. “It’s not just about pure manufacturing,” says Balaam. “It’s everything around being able to satisfy the demands of these customers who are very, by their nature, brand-protective.” That means being set-up to quickly cater to things like licensing requirements, strict embargoes, and retail partners demanding “e-commerce-ready” product data.

Of course, technology can and should be playing an increasing role in how manufacturers handle such requests. AI-driven tools like demand planning will be transformative. “Every manufacturer has to decide what they’re going to make that day,” says Balaam. “AI is changing that, helping companies predict demand in real-time and shorten the distance between a trend and a tangible product.”

Hollywood’s Rapid Prototyping Playbook

Meanwhile, Hollywood has quietly become a master of 3D printing. Next time you’re tuning into your favorite series or heading to the theatre, there’s a good chance you’re seeing on-screen props built using additive manufacturing. A new creature for a sci-fi series, a custom car for a blockbuster, a replacement sword for a reshoot—all can be designed, printed, and painted within days. In fact, among the famous props built by 3D printers are Thor’s hammer, Queen Ramonda’s costume, and night vision goggles in Zero Dark Thirty.

This is rapid prototyping at its best: low-risk, low-cost, high-speed iteration. It’s also exactly the discipline many manufacturers underutilize.

Manufacturers don’t need Hollywood budgets to embrace this approach. Additive manufacturing is now inexpensive enough to support constant experimentation. Companies can build physical mockups and validate materials and design on the fly. They can also create a shorter feedback loop from the point of engineering through sales, customer reviews, and design tweaks.

As it stands, too many manufacturers are reserving prototyping for a handful of big ideas. But the bottleneck isn’t with technology, it’s with the way leaders allocate—or don’t—resources toward innovation. As tariffs and economic uncertainty cloud the future for manufactures, one thing they can always control is innovation. It’s the first thing many manufacturers cut when things get tight, when in reality, it’s the controllable they should hold on to tightest. Creating innovative new products remains recession-proof.

Building For Speed

Manufacturers can’t assume that demand will behave predictably or that product cycles will remain stable. The next hit item might emerge from a blockbuster or a TikTok trend. Or, demand changes could take hold from somewhere even more unexpected. No one could’ve seen a global pandemic coming, but soon after it hit, the most agile manufacturers were able to quickly pivot and make PPE gear, sanitizer, or other items in sudden short supply.

Manufacturing success often hinges on speed. Luckily, a wave of new and coming technologies is helping companies harness it. Manufacturing leaders must invest time to understand how these technologies can make their operations better—whether by adding agility or creating a rapid prototyping mechanism to spur innovation.

As Balaam puts it, manufacturers today aren’t just shipping physical goods. “You’re shipping the digital representation of that product, ready to be online the moment it hits the warehouse,” he says. That level of tech-fueled readiness increasingly separates the manufacturers who can seize cultural moments and new demands and those who miss out.

Whether they’re producing products tied to a cultural moment or exploring their own innovation, the manufacturers that can produce and iterate the fastest are the ones best positioned to win.