HollyWeb: Movie studios take up gavel in online prop auctions

David Germain

Tuesday, July 27, 1999 | 10:01 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Want a piece of Austin Powers? Looking for something in a gaudy '70s jumpsuit from "Boogie Nights"? Interested in "Melrose Place" swimming pool water with a guarantee that Heather Locklear swam here?

Movie studios, with warehouses full of the stuff that dreams are made of, have begun testing the collectibles market with online auctions to peddle props from films and TV shows, along with other entertainment memorabilia.

Many studios and production companies have online stores that sell mass-produced items related to popular movies or shows.

But Universal and New Line are the first to take up the Web gavel and offer one-of-a-kind wardrobe items, pieces of movie sets and other props to high bidders in sales similar to those run by eBay, Amazon.com and other online auctioneers.

"It's a chance to own a part of the movies," Jim Rosenthal, executive vice president of business development at New Line, said. "It's a neat thing for somebody to be able to point and say, 'I own the silver suit that Mini Me wore" in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." That item sold for $5,502.

The biggest-ticket item so far has been Felicity Shagwell's Corvette Stingray from the "Austin Powers" sequel, which New Line sold for $121,000.

Most items sell for far less, and the money the studios take in is minuscule compared with box office and TV advertising revenues. The studios say they donate part of the proceeds to charity.

The real benefit is promotion, luring fans to studio websites, with the props themselves serving as ads for particular movies and shows.

"It's a way of getting people on your site, and once they're there you hope they'll stay and move around to other areas, click and travel the neighborhood," said Craig Parsons, spokesman for MGM, which is considering adding its own online auction site.

New Line's site sells only items from the studio's own productions, while Universal's is more universal, offering props, autographed photos and other entertainment merchandise from a variety of sources.

"The studios are building a fan base of people who are interested in being connected with either newer films or films in the library," entertainment consultant Michael J. Wolf, senior partner for Booz, Allen & Hamilton Inc., said "One way is to own a piece of the films."

Many props have little intrinsic worth, but true to the premise of auctions, the value of an item depends on what someone is willing to pay. In some cases, fans are willing to pay a lot for a bit of movie magic.

In a current New Line auction, the skates worn by Heather Graham as Roller Girl in "Boogie Nights" had been bid up to $4,580 by last Tuesday. From a past New Line auction, a stool sample beaker from "Austin Powers" went for $1,026. Universal sold a "Star Trek" tunic designed for William Shatner for $3,225.

Other items are within many fans' price range. A water bottle with a NASA logo from "Deep Impact" sold for $35 on Universal's site, while a chunk of the space-travel pyramid from "Stargate" went for $120. An umbrella used in "Pleasantville" brought $256 on New Line's site.

And that vial of "Melrose Place" pool water -- along with a letter of authenticity -- sold for $51.

"The essential beauty of the Internet is it breaks geographical boundaries down and allows people all over the world to experience Hollywood up close," Eileen Vessella, vice president of Universal's online operations, said.

Some items, despite the lure of Hollywood, can't find a buyer. Universal had no bidders for a wanted poster of Madeline Stowe in "Bad Girls" and a pair of leather chaps worn by Tommy Davidson in "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls."

Still, with the motherlode of props Hollywood has on hand, such auctions could become a regular part of film promotion. Some upcoming New Line auction items include a white jumpsuit used in "Boogie Nights" and Sissy Spacek's pajamas from "Blast from the Past."

"It's not a huge business today," Wolf said, "but it could be."