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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zombie Aladdin" data-source="post: 140737" data-attributes="member: 4242">It looks like some of you are claiming The Addams Family will be cheap to acquire. It won't. MGM is working on a CGI remake that will be out in 2016: <a href="http://variety.com/2013/film/news/addams-family-reborn-as-animated-movie-at-mgm-exclusive-1200781652/" target="_blank">http://variety.com/2013/film/news/addams-family-reborn-as-animated-movie-at-mgm-exclusive-1200781652/</a>Don't forget that the TV show from the 60's was in turn based on the single-panel New Yorker comics drawn by Charles Addams from the 30's. Not that that has any relevance to the discussion at hand, as the pinball machine was based solely on what I think was the first live-action movie.Either times have changed or things are different in Los Angeles, because Stern machines on location here in LA overwhelm the other companies', ESPECIALLY The Simpsons Pinball Party. In fact, of the 323 machines discovered in <a href="http://pinballmap.com/la" target="_blank">Los Angeles's Pinball Map</a>, there are 27 Simpsons Pinball Party machines (about 8.4% of all on-location machines). Here's a rundown of it and the other most numerous machines on-location in Los Angeles, as well as some fan-favorites:The Simpsons Pinball Party (Stern, 2003): 27Pirates of the Caribbean (Stern, 2006): 20Shrek/Family Guy (Stern, 2006): 11 (6 Family Guy machines, 5 Shrek machines)*The Addams Family (both versions) (Bally, 1992/1994): 9The Lord of the Rings (both versions) (Stern, 2003): 9South Park (SEGA, 1999): 7Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Williams, 1991): 7Metallica (all versions) (Stern, 2013): 6Spider-Man (all versions) (Stern, 2007): 6Elvis (Stern, 2004): 5The Sopranos (Stern, 2005): 5 (compare to Monster Bash below)Star Wars: Episode I (Bally, 1999): 5Transformers (all versions) (Stern, 2011): 5Austin Powers (Stern, 2001): 4Doctor Who (Bally, 1994): 4Fish Tales (Williams, 1992): 4The Getaway: High Speed II (Williams, 1992): 4TRON: Legacy (both versions) (Stern, 2011): 4Attack from Mars (Bally, 1995): 3Indiana Jones (Stern, 2008): 3 (not a fan-favorite by any means, but compare to IJ: The Pinball Adventure below)Jurassic Park (Data East, 1993): 3Revenge from Mars (Bally, 1999): 3Scared Stiff (Bally, 1996): 3Twilight Zone (Bally, 1993): 3AC/DC (all versions) (Stern, 2012/2013/2014): 2Creature from the Black Lagoon (Bally, 1992): 2 (the machines are less than 1/4 mile apart)Elvira and the Party Monsters (Bally, 1989): 2Monster Bash (Williams, 1998): 2Star Trek (Stern, 2013): 2Theatre of Magic (Bally, 1995): 2White Water (Williams, 1993): 2World Cup Soccer (Bally, 1994): 2Black Knight (Williams, 1980): 1Funhouse (Williams, 1990): 1Indianapolis 500 (Bally, 1995): 1Judge Dredd (Bally, 1993): 1Medieval Madness (Williams, 1997): 1Star Trek: The Next Generation (Williams, 1993): 1Tales of the Arabian Nights (Williams, 1997): 1Black Knight 2000 (Williams, 1989): 0Cactus Canyon (Bally, 1998): 0Cirqus Voltaire (Bally, 1997): 0High Speed (Williams, 1986): 0Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure (Williams, 1993): 0**The Wizard of Oz (all versions) (Jersey Jack, 2013): 0* These two machines have identical playfield designs and rules and are essentially palette swaps of each other. I think Los Angeles is the only location to have more Family Guys than Shreks. This may tie into the absurd quantity of Simpsons Pinball Parties here.** While not exactly Los Angeles, Disneyland did have a Pinball Adventure machine on display, albeit turned off. It has since been removed, alongside Stern's Indiana Jones.I haven't checked numbers for other maps, but you could probably do the same if you live in a major North American metropolitan area. I do know Simpsons Pinball Party is not nearly as prevalent anywhere else, though neither is Family Guy. Still, I do get the impression that it's the license that operators are attracted to the most, especially considering that Stern machines, by virute of being newer, are more expensive than most other machines. In fact, I know many of these Simpsons Pinball Parties used to be other things (and Family Guy machines). For instance, the Regency Theatres in North Hollywood currently has a Family Guy, but it used to be an Addams Family. QT Chicago Dogs, over 2013, went from The Avengers to Shrek and it's now a Simpsons Pinball Party. AMF Valley View Lanes used to have an AC/DC Premium, but it turned into Simpsons Pinball Party.It appears to me that The Simpsons Pinball Party is a certain profit-maker, and in Los Angeles, that I keep seeing Simpsons Pinball Party replace other pinball machines, leads me to believe that it is the ONLY one certain to turn a profit. People walk up to the machine, see that it's Simpsons, and plunk in some quarters. They see a Twilight Zone and dismiss it as old stuff. They see a Theatre of Magic, they never heard of it and are thus not interested.A general trend I notice is that the themes most attractive to operates are family-friendly themes and animated sitcoms. Except for Data East's The Simpsons (whose LA count is a big fat goose egg), every pinball machine with an animated sitcom license is a comparatively common sight. By contrast, science fiction, which tends to be popular with pinheads, are not very alluring for operators. As for distribution by company, Stern definitely dominates the list, with a few particularly popular machines from other companies. The three most popular non-Sterns are Addams Family, South Park, and Terminator 2, three machines so well-known that even people who know nothing about pinball have heard of them; these machines can turn a profit based on their reputation alone.Those are my two cents. I may add more if other thoughts surface though, and I am definitely curious to hear how Addams Family or Simpsons Pinball Party is seen in other places.</blockquote>

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