TheChek News Flow

Even the Black Panther might have trouble fixing this mess.

An embarrassing shortage of toys pegged to the smash superhero flick is showing no signs of ending, insiders say, even as the box-office sensation is slated for a DVD release next month.

Hasbro, the manufacturing giant that has the master license for “Black Panther” toys, admits that it won’t have any new goods to accompany the DVD — despite the fact that such pairings are standard industry practice.

“Hasbro often comes out with new items with a video release,” said Jim Silver, president of toy review website TTPM told The Post. But “the toy industry underestimated Black Panther.”

Toy shelves nationwide were already going bare in early March — just three weeks after the movie’s Feb. 16 release. Six-inch action figures began to sell out, and retailers began limiting sales of 12-inch models to five per customer, according to BMO Securities.

“Our in-store check have also shown a lot of empty pegs,” BMO analyst Gerrick Johnson wrote at the time.

This weekend, “Black Panther” nudged past “Titanic” to become the third-highest-grossing film in the US of all time. And yet as of Sunday, Amazon had only one of the six-inch, $10 action figures of the movie’s villain, Erik Killmonger, available for its Prime members. The $20 Vibranium Power FX mask was completely sold out at many stores, including New York-area Target locations.

Looking ahead, there’s only a single, as-yet-unreleased Black Panther toy that’s been announced. The $99 helmet, which boasts “Vibranium-inspired design with flip-up eye lenses,” won’t hit shelves until the fall, a Hasbro spokeswoman confirmed.

That, in turn, has sent third-party manufacturers scrambling to fill demand in the coming months.

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“We’ve got three factories in China working overtime to get 300,000 items out as fast as possible,” says Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun, which is producing plush toys for amusement parks and kids’ venues like Chuck E. Cheese. “We are scheduling the product to ship on the fastest container ships to help make it in time.”

A Disney spokeswoman, meanwhile, insisted that the Black Panther product line is “the largest ever for a Marvel origin film, including expanded categories, such as performance wear and high-fashion collaborations.”

Nevertheless, parents have taken to Twitter to gripe about a lack of goods across the board.

“Kid asked for a Black Panther themed birthday party,” an Atlanta mother complained. “We are having a hard time finding party decor. #1 movie in the world and the stores don’t have any party merchandise. #Annoyed #BlackPanther.”

“I still need to know where they are hiding all of the merchandise,” another tweeted last month. “I need three sets of twin bed sheets, a shower curtain, and matching towels.”

Hasbro released just 11 “Black Panther” toys for the film’s debut — about half what retailers carried for the “Justice League” film and a third of what they carry for “Power Rangers” movies, according to NPD Group.

“Black Panther,” meanwhile, got about the same toy allotment as “Wonder Woman,” another smash hit that took the industry by surprise, according to Licensing Letter, an industry publication.

“This is an industry that downplayed the female character in Star Wars,” resulting in shortages of Rei figures after the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” Richard Gottlieb, chief executive of Global Toy Experts Gottlieb told The Post.

“The African-American community was very excited about this movie,” according to Gottlieb. But the toy industry was unsure whether it would generate “broad public demand,” he said.

Ongoing strong US and UK buys compensated for new Continental sells

Oleg Deripaska-backed EN+ and Rusal hardest hit as Moscow threatens retaliation

Companies owned by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska warned that US sanctions against his Russian aluminium and energy empire would have a “materially adverse impact” on future business prospects and could result in technical credit defaults.

Investors wiped off half the value of Hong Kong-listed aluminium producer Rusal and almost a third from London-listed holding company EN+ on Monday in reaction to the sanctions.

Russia’s broader market also sank, with the main blue-chip index trading 9.6 per cent lower, as major companies such as Sberbank and Norilsk Nickel fell sharply despite not being affected by the sanctions, which also hit six other oligarchs and 17 government officials.

Shares in EN+ had already fallen 22 per cent on Friday after Washington imposed sanctions against Mr Deripaska and his businesses in a targeted move against the oligarch for “advancing Russia’s malign activities”.

The sanctions are designed to stop Mr Deripaska and associated companies from doing business in US dollars and cut him off from any dealings with US citizens. A new provision expands those rules to transactions involving non-Americans, in a major blow to his operations.

Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that he would instruct the government to develop initiatives to support companies affected by the sanctions and also consider retaliatory measures in response.

Rusal produces almost 6 per cent of the world’s aluminium. The metal jumped in price on Monday after lawyers and traders said that many non-US customers would also be wary of buying from the company because of the wide reach of the sanctions.

Both Rusal and EN+ said in separate statements on Monday that their “initial assessment is that it is highly likely that the impact may be materially adverse to the business and prospects of the group”. EN+ owns a controlling stake in Rusal and the energy company that powers its aluminium smelters.

Separately, Rusal warned that the sanctions impact “may result in technical defaults in relation to certain credit obligations of the group, and the company is currently evaluating the impact (if any) of such technical defaults on the financial position of the group”.

“The biggest blow was taken by public companies controlled by Oleg Deripaska,” Moscow brokerage ATON wrote in a briefing note, adding that the market was looking for “possible actions to minimise” the damage.

“We expect the risk of secondary sanctions will impact well beyond just US imports, and Rusal material will indeed be shunned by many non-US consumers and their financing banks,” said Oliver Nugent, a commodities strategist at ING.

EN+, which only listed in London in November having raised $1bn from City investors despite fears over the potential of further sanctions being imposed on Russia, said it would focus on maintaining its operations and ensuring it “abides by all applicable laws and regulations”.

“The company intends to continue to fulfil its existing commitments whilst seeking solutions (which may involve adjustments to its existing agreements and arrangements in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements) to address the impact of the [sanctions],” it added.

Separately, it announced that a programme allowing US holders of its GDRs to convert them into full shares had been closed with immediate effect, and that Dominique Fraisse, a Natixis banker who was one of the companies’ independent directors, had resigned from the board. EN+ and Rusal also warned that publication of their 2017 annual reports could be delayed.

Elliott, the US hedge fund, has upped its stake in Telecom Italia to 9 per cent as it continues to put pressure on Vivendi, which controls the Italian telecoms company, ahead of a showdown in May.

The hedge fund said in a statement that it has worked with JPMorgan to increase its holding in Telecom Italia as it continues to agitate against the “poor stewardship” of the Vivendi-controlled board which has been in place since last year.

Shareholders will vote for a new board on May 4 with Vivendi, which has a 24 per cent stake, and Elliott both submitting their nominations for a new Telecom Italia board. Italian state fund CDP is also building a stake of 5 per cent to ensure it has a say in the long term governance of the former government owned telecoms operator.

Elliott has already posted a slate of Italian establishment figures to be put on to the Telecom Italia board and is expected to add four more names by the end of Monday, the deadline for nominations.

Amos Genish, the chief executive of Telecom Italia, leads Vivendi’s nominations. He has detailed a growth plan since he joined last year to restore dividend payments, improve cash flow and separate the company’s network into an independent company still controlled by Telecom Italia.

Telecom Italia shares were flat at 85c.

- The primary objective of the trial is to evaluate the efficacy of two fixed doses of MIN-117, 5.0 milligrams (mg) and 2.5 mg, compared with placebo in reducing the symptoms of major depression as measured by the change in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score over six weeks of treatment. Secondary objectives include: (1) assessment of the change from baseline in symptoms of anxiety using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A); (2) the change in severity of illness using the Clinical Global Impression of Severity Scale (CGI-S) and Clinical Global Impression of Improvement Scale (CGI-I); and (3) safety over six weeks of treatment. "- While existing therapies for MDD are available, their effectiveness is limited due to unacceptable side effects, particularly cognitive impairment and sexual dysfunction," said Dr. Remy Luthringer, Chief Executive Officer of Minerva. "These shortcomings warrant the exploration of new treatment strategies with molecules such as MIN-117 that possess an innovative and rich pharmacological profile. In addition to the primary endpoint of reducing the symptoms of major depression, we plan to assess anxiety, cognition, sexual function, sleep, validated depression biomarkers and onset of action to further define the product profile of MIN-117 as an agent that can potentially address these shortcomings."