From T-shirts to thongs, how indie film merchandise became a hot commodity

LOS ANGELES (AP) — On a recent Saturday afternoon, hundreds of “Anora” fans lined up for hours on Los Angeles' Melrose Avenue, hoping to snag exclusive merchandise inspired by Sean Baker’s latest film about a stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch.

The one-day-only pop-up from distributor Neon followed the success of a similar event in New York, hosted at the strip club at which the winner of the top prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival was filmed.

Elated film buffs — many already wearing clothes inspired by movies like fellow Cannes hit “The Substance” and the Nicolas Cage horror flick, “Longlegs” — relished the fruits of their labor at the front of the line, admiring their T-shirt and thong underwear purchases.

“Exclusive is a buzzword, but it really is. It’s an exclusive event because we all waited in line,” said Nathan Zakim, who arrived at 10 a.m. for the 3 p.m. pop-up. “We all saw the movie. I think the movie merch mania should go on for as long as it can.”

Movie-themed merchandise is nothing new. Who can forget the iconic “Vote for Pedro” T-shirt from “Napoleon Dynamite” that was seemingly everywhere in the early aughts?

But in recent years, movie-inspired streetwear has exploded in popularity among film lovers, thanks in part to viral marketing campaigns put on by independent film studios. The result is clothing, often made in collaboration with popular brands, promoted as trendy and in limited supply.

“Being this film buff type of person, I buy Blu-rays, I buy 4Ks. And that’s not something that you can just pop out to someone and be like, ‘I have this Criterion,’” said Natanael Avilez, who drove more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) for the “Anora” pop up. “Merch is the second-best option of saying like, ‘I do love movies and this is the way to express that.’”

T-shirts are by far the most common form of merch, be it for Neon's Oscar-winning “Parasite” (2019) or, more recently, A24's “We Live in Time,” with the infamous carousel horse emblazoned across the front.

Some films, however, lend themselves to a more thematic marketing approach.

“First Reformed” fans flocked to the sold-out denim hat featured in Paul Schrader's 2017 film about a pastor's descent into despair over the environment. The J. Hannah gold locket inspired by Sofia Coppola's “Priscilla” (2023) is still on the market for $1,480.

One catalyst in the trend’s rise can be traced to 2018, when the clothing brand Online Ceramics and A24 joined forces. The brand, founded by artists Elijah Funk and Alix Ross, began with the idea of making bootleg T-shirts inspired by the Grateful Dead. Ross recounted two serendipitous moments in the company’s history: One was watching Pete Davidson wearing a “Good Time” T-shirt on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” in 2018.

“I was really jealous that we didn’t make that,” Ross recalled of Davidson’s shirt, adorned with a poster image of Robert Pattinson and co-director Benny Safdie.

The other was knowing, after just seeing the trailer, that Online Ceramics had to make “Hereditary” T-shirts — with or without A24’s permission. Thanks to a mutual friend, they managed to get in touch with the studio just before the film’s release and got A24's stamp of approval.

Hopeful online shoppers today will be disappointed as they scroll through dozens of Online Ceramics x A24 items, inspired by films like “MaXXXine,” “Midsommar” and “Love Lies Bleeding,” only to find each one sold out.

Watching movies — following a pandemic and the rise of streaming — has become less of a collective experience in recent years. For many fans, repping their favorite films in public is a way to combat that.

“It’s so fun knowing that everyone loves the movie so much to go stand in line for multiple hours. I got here three hours before it even opened and there’s probably, like, 30 people in front of me,” said Sabrina Bratt. “Physical keepsakes are just so cute and fun.”

For studios, the benefit is multifaceted. Not only is it an additional revenue source in a time of slowed production in Hollywood, it also is a way to engage with the fans that help keep their films in the zeitgeist long after they leave the theater.

“People, and particularly younger people, they want to be a part of something. And wearing a shirt for a movie is no different to wearing a shirt for the band that you just went to see. There’s a cachet to it. There’s a value to it. It’s a sign of who I am,” said Neon Chief Marketing Officer Christian Parkes.

Alex Ng is the co-founder and creative director of the Los Angeles-based brand Brain Dead, which also owns a movie theater on Fairfax Avenue. As the film industry continues to evolve out of necessity, Ng contends this intersection of fashion and film will play an increasingly important role in Hollywood.

“What people want is like a token or a souvenir. They go to Disneyland and they get a Mickey, right? So, if you go to an arthouse cinema, there’s not a lot of things or souvenirs you could take away from a film that you love,” he said. “I want to connect those pieces. And I think that’s the new era that we’re seeing as a movie-going experience.”

As the demand has grown for merchandise, studios and brands have sought to take advantage for films old and new.

Searchlight Pictures recently released a handful of products to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Alexander Payne’s buddy comedy for oenophiles, “Sideways,” including tees, hats and, of course, wine keys.

Brain Dead has done a handful of movie collaborations with studios like A24, Focus Features and, more recently, MUBI and Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions.

Some products are odes to cult classics, like “Being John Malkovich” and “The Big Lebowski,” while others commemorate newer releases. Within days of announcing a limited-edition, long-sleeve shirt for “The Substance” — complete with a 30-day trial for MUBI — Brain Dead had sold out of the product online.

Although Ng bristles at the idea of “hype,” arguing it suggests something’s popularity isn’t sincere, he appreciates the ways in which demand for movie merchandise has grown: “I think when we can speak to someone who loves films in that, that’s really cool to me.”

Ross, too, is ambivalent about how popular merch has become.

“I cringe at seeing how many movie companies are trying to rip off what we did,” he said. “But at the same time, it’s just kind of like, ‘Damn.’ Like I can’t believe it got to this point.”

Anora movie fans stretch down Melrose Blvd. to line up for a Pop-Up event for the movie Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Actor Vache Tovmasyan signs an autograph for a fans during a merchandise Pop-Up event for the newly released film, Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

An Sabrina Bratt, movie fan receives her tee-shirts during a merchandise Pop-Up event for the newly released movie Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A movie fan sizes up Tee shirts during a merchandise Pop-Up event for the movie Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Movie fans pick out tee-shirts during a merchandise Pop-Up event for the newly released film Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Anora movie fans line up down the block at a merchandise Pop-Up event for the movie Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Actor Vache Tovmasyan greets fans during a merchandise Pop-Up event for the movie Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Anora movie fans line up at a merchandise Pop-Up event for recently released film Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Tee shirts are displayed hanging in the back of a Cadillac Escalade during a merchandise Pop-Up event for the movie Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Anora movie fans line up at a merchandise Pop-Up event for recently released film Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Van Tillian, left and Kapri Matlock pose for a photo with tee-shirts they got at a Pop-Up merchandise event for the movie Anora on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

PARIS (AP) — Five years after a catastrophic fire reduced Notre Dame Cathedral to a smoldering shell, The Associated Press entered the Gothic masterpiece for a first glimpse of its fully restored interiors during a visit with French President Emmanuel Macron that was broadcast to the public. The transformation is nothing short of breathtaking: light dances across brilliant stone, gilded accents gleam anew, and the Gothic icon’s majesty is reborn. From Dec. 8, visitors will once again marvel at the cathedral’s blend of history and craftsmanship.

Here’s a reporter’s-eye view:

The nave, once darkened by soot and rubble, now radiates a celestial brilliance. Visitors can see the true color of the cathedral’s walls: a pale Lutetian limestone — named after the Roman word for Paris, Lutecia — that glows under sunlight streaming through restored stained-glass windows. The newfound blond hues highlight the soaring Gothic columns and ribbed vaults, creating a bright and uplifting atmosphere. Restorers say it's the first time in centuries the true stone has been exposed in this way.

The polished checkerboard marble floor, glistening underfoot, is so smooth it seems you could glide across it — communicating with the gilded, golden grille partition of the choir area.

Overhead, incandescent chandeliers hang majestically from each vaulted arch, stretching from west to east, casting a warm, golden light throughout the nave.

The meticulous restoration process involved cleaning over 42,000 square meters of stone using innovative latex peels to strip away centuries of grime without causing damage. Conservators uncovered mason marks etched by medieval builders — intimate traces of the artisans who shaped Notre Dame in the 12th and 13th centuries.

This gleaming transformation is a stark contrast to the wreckage of 2019, when the nave was strewn with charred debris.

The altar in the cathedral’s chancel carries a poignant symbol of the fire’s devastation. Nicolas Coustou’s Pietà, part of the Vœu de Louis XIII ensemble, survived largely unscathed, but molten lead from the blaze fused into the hand of Christ. Restorers chose to preserve this as a subtle, yet powerful, reminder of the tragedy.

Surrounding the altar, the intricate marquetry floor, long hidden under layers of dirt, has been pieced together from fragments recovered after the fire.

Nearby, the polished Cross of Glory, which famously —literally — glowed amid the flames, now stands restored to its full brilliance. Framed by the radiant blonde stonework of the nave, the cross serves as a centerpiece of the cathedral’s rebirth.

The grand organ, among the largest and most storied in France, has undergone an intricate revival. Spared from the flames but coated in lead dust, its 8,000 pipes, ranging in size from that of a pen to over 10 meters (33 feet) tall, were painstakingly disassembled, cleaned, and retuned. Over two years, this work was performed with precision in the cathedral’s silent, cavernous interior, where harmonization was achieved entirely by ear.

Now, the organ’s grandeur is unmistakable. Its towering wooden case, marked with carvings left by past craftsmen, gleams under sunlight streaming through restored clerestory windows. Even in silence, it commands awe.

The 29 chapels circling the nave and choir burst with color and detail previously dulled by dirt and neglect. Restorers revealed intricate murals, gilded stars on ceilings, and vibrant motifs originally created under Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s direction. Each chapel tells a unique story through its designs and themes.

The Chapel of Saint Marcel stands out as a masterpiece, its mural of the saint’s relics vividly restored. Visitors are captivated by its radiant colors, producing an effect likened to the Sistine Chapel in Rome — a visual firework display. In other chapels, traces of 19th-century painters’ color tests, hidden in nooks, provide glimpses into their artistic process.

The transept crossing, where the original spire collapsed, presented one of the restoration’s most formidable challenges. Above, soaring new vaults of Lutetian limestone replicate the medieval originals with remarkable precision.

Beneath the crossing, archaeologists uncovered a trove of history: fragments of Notre Dame’s medieval jubé, or choir screen, buried in the rubble. These intricately carved stones, some still bearing faint traces of polychrome paint, provide a rare glimpse into the cathedral’s vibrant 13th-century decorative history.

The newly restored roof draw gazes skyward, where medieval timber techniques have been faithfully recreated. Known as “the forest,” the intricate wooden framework remains hidden beneath the roofline, but glimpses into the rafters reveal the precision of both ancient and modern craftsmanship.

Outside, the spire rises 96 meters, faithfully replicating Viollet-le-Duc’s 19th-century design. Clad in oak and lead, it stands crowned by a gilded rooster containing relics of St. Denis, St. Genevieve, and a fragment of the Crown of Thorns, alongside a scroll listing contributors to the restoration.

The spire also honors the late General Jean-Louis Georgelin, who oversaw the project until his death in 2023. His name is now etched at its base.

There’s more than meets the eye in this restoration. Notre Dame now features unseen state-of-the-art fire prevention systems to guard against future disasters. Thermal cameras monitor the roof, and a fine misting system, designed to extinguish flames at their source, is seamlessly integrated into the structure. Fireproof barriers divide the roof into compartments, preventing flames from spreading.

Reinforced water supply lines can deliver 600 cubic meters (21,188 cubic feet) of water per hour, ensuring the cathedral is better protected than ever before.

For more of AP's coverage on Notre Dame, visit https://apnews.com/hub/notre-dame-cathedral

FILE - A hole is seen in the dome inside Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP, File)

France's anti-terror Sentinelle operation soldiers patrol as French President Emmanuel Macron visits the renovated Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

People stand inside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Friday Nov. 29 2024 before French President Emmanuel Macron's final visit to the construction site to see the restored interiors before the iconic monument's reopening for worship on Dec. 8. (Sarah Meyssonnier, Pool via AP)

The baptistery designed by French artist and designer Guillaume Bardet is seen at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, second right, and his wife Brigitte Macron visit the restored interiors of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool via AP)

Construction workers who took part to the Notre-Dame cathedral restoration visit the cathedral after French President Emmanuel Macron's visit of the restored interiors, Friday, Nov.29, 2024 in Paris. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)

Windows in the heart of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral are seen while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

The choir stalls of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral are seen while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

People stroll in Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors the monument, Friday, Nov.29, 2024 in Paris. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)