Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.comWhat's this I hear about a Spice Girls reunion tour? Seriously? People will pay to see that?
—Jennifer, via the inbox
The rumor on this one is as wispy as Victoria Beckham's waistline, honey, but if Sporty and Posh and Baby and Scary and That Other One Who Left do get back together, do not expect automatic failure.
In fact you'd be shocked at how much interest these gals may—may—still have out there:
First of all, the amount of cash the Spice Girls made on their first tour is not a bad indicator of possible future demand. After all, the girls already had one reunion tour in 2007 and 2008, and it grossed reported $70 million.
And those people? Who paid for that? It's not like they've gone away.
"All the people that bought tickets and albums the first time around are still out there," says Ray Waddell, who follows tour number for Billboard magazine. (It's not like this would be a Glenn Miller reunion tour, after all; the teens who once loved the Spice Girls circa 1997 are now pushing 30, not 80.)
This year would not be the ideal time to start a reunion tour, I am told, but it will be within a few years. If it doesn't happen soonest, don't be shocked if it's announced eventually, say, closer to 2017 or thereabouts.
"Twenty years minimum is a good rule of thumb when marketing to nostalgia," Waddell tells me. "For example, when seeking to tap into nostalgia for teens, 20 years gives those original fans time to grow up, get married, and see the children get old enough to where a night out on the town is doable, plus there is hopefully a little more discretionary income available."
One more piece of evidence pointing to an eventual Spice Girls reunion: other former tween acts.
"The idea that pop stardom is fleeting, particularly youth-oriented pop, was blown out of the water with the overwhelming success of the New Kids/Backstreet Boys reunion tour last year," Waddell points out.
And what denotes overwhelming success? How about earnings of more than $40 million?
So. "Say You'll Be There"?