Over the last 22 years, “Star Wars” merchandise has tallied an estimated $4.5 billion in global sales. About half of that came from toys, the rest from books, soundtracks and anything else you can stamp a logo on. Last year Hasbro, the world’s second biggest toymaker, bought No. 3 Galoob, consolidating every major “Star Wars” toy license. Analysts think Hasbro could ring up more than $5 billion in retail sales from the three prequels. That doesn’t count the toys Lego will make (it’s the company’s first license) or computer games from Nintendo and Lucas’s own LucasArts.
Lucas is also getting $2 billion in a promotional deal with PepsiCo, which means Episode I stuff on soft drinks, on Frito-Lay chips and in Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut restaurants. The Dark Side for retailers would be the “Godzilla” scenario–overhyped movies with loads of unsold product. But this is “Star Wars,” the franchise that practically invented entertainment licensing. “The revenues from products tied to the first of the prequels will exceed any first-year movie revenues on merchandise in the history of Hollywood,” says Sean McGowan, a toy analyst at Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co. We’ll buy that.
title: “Making A Killing” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-09” author: “Rita Stifter”
Over the last 22 years, ““Star Wars’’ merchandise has tallied an estimated $4.5 billion in sales–four times as much as the movies. About half of that came from toys, the rest from books, soundtracks and anything else you can stamp a logo on. Last year Hasbro, the nation’s second-biggest toymaker, bought No. 3 Galoob, consolidating every major ““Star Wars’’ toy license. Analysts think Hasbro could ring up more than $5 billion in retail sales from the three prequels. That doesn’t count the toys Lego will make (it’s the company’s first license) or computer games from Nintendo and Lucas’s own LucasArts.
Lucas is also getting $2 billion in a promotional deal with PepsiCo, which means Episode I stuff on soft drinks, Frito-Lay chips, and in Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut restaurants. The Dark Side for retailers would be the ““Godzilla’’ scenario–over-hyped movies leave behind truckloads of unsold product. But this is ““Star Wars,’’ the franchise that practically invented entertainment licensing. ““The revenues from products tied to the first of the prequels will exceed any first-year movie revenues on merchandise in the history of Hollywood,’’ says Sean McGowan, a toy analyst at Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co. We’ll buy that.
