Hasbro sales were up a third in the first quarter of 2007, with over half of that increase coming from its initial shipments of Marvel toys, primarily Spider-Man. Initial sales of toys based on Spider-Man 3 'significantly' out-performed toys based on Spider-Man 2, according to Hasbro CEO Alfred Verrecchia in a conference call.
Other strong categories included games, with an 8% increase in the category powered by a 22% increase in Monopoly sales year over year.
In addition to its Spider-Man 3 toys, Hasbro also has big stakes in two other summer movies -- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (see 'Best in Shows 2007 -- Part 1') and Transformers (see 'Best in Shows 2007 -- Part 2').
