Last December, we wrote about the smash holiday sales of Star Wars toys, tied in to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
This year, on December 16, 2016, the latest Star Wars (Rogue One) installment will hit theaters. So, this post takes a look at some of the milestones the series has achieved — and at the new movie.
Here are some pre-Rogue One cumulative data for Star Wars, compiled by Statistics Brain:
- More than $30 billion of revenue has been generated.
- The global movie box office has reached $6.25 billion.
- VHS/DVD/Digital revenues have hit $5.5 billion.
- TWELVE billion Star Wars toys have been sold.
- Book sales have exceeded $1.8 billion.
- $3.5 billion worth of videogames have been sold.
Here are some interesting tidbits about the tie-in blitz (yes, these items are ready for you to buy!) for the upcoming Rogue One, reported by Erik Kain for Forbes [Note: This list is NOT a commercial; that’s why there are no product links. The list is only intended to show the mania surrounding any new Star Wars release.]:
- LEGO Sets — “LEGO has been at the forefront of all things Star Wars for ages. This year is no different. LEGO has released some truly awesome sets to celebrate the new film.”
- Rebel U-Wing Fighter — “If you’re looking for something a bit more heroic, look no further than the Rebel U-Wing Fighter. This is a nice twist for Star Wars fans, since we’re all pretty used to X-Wings by now. The set is a bit less complicated than the previous one, with an 8-14 age rating and just 659 pieces.The U-Wing may be the main attraction, but the characters it comes with are awesome.”
- Video Games — “Star Wars: Battlefront is an online multiplayer shooter that pits the Rebels vs the Empire in maps on planets from across a galaxy far, far away. There’s content from Episode VII like Jakku, and there’s content from the original trilogy, including the moon of Endor. On December 6th, the final DLC pack drops, and it includes content from Rogue One. The Rogue One: Scarif pack will let gamers experience battles on the film’s planet Scarif a full ten days before they can on the big screen.”
- Books — “Most of the books coming out about Rogue One won’t release until after the movie (because of obvious things like spoilers). Still, here are some options for die-hard Star Wars fans looking for some art and literature tie-ins to Rogue One.“
- Action Figures — “The larger ‘Black’ series figurines are especially great both for kids and collectors. You can get the 6″ Jyn Erso figurine for $12.50, Rogue One pilot Cassian Andor for $15.49; and the sleek Imperial Death Trooper for $15.99.”
- Figurines — “An alternative to action figures, Funko’s POP figurines are as cute as they are addictive. Be careful when you start buying POP characters, because there always seems to be another one that’s even cuter. In any case, there’s tons of characters from Rogue One to choose from, ranging from a little over $5 to a little over $8.”
- Razors — “A little off the beaten path of toys, books, and video games, we come to very sharp blades. Razors, to be precise.Gillette has some pretty cool razors available with some Rogue One branding. The boxes are cool because they have some great artwork, but the insides are also pretty neat.”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year grossed 2 billion dollars and had some analysts wondering if it would beat Avatar’s (highest grossing movie of all time – 2.7 billion) box office record. It obviously didn’t break the record but it showed something: even if Star Wars disappeared for a few years (Revenge of the Sith was released in 2007), it still held the power and attention of its loyal fan base and part of that is for the success of the films and the success of the other marketing items such as toys, books, promotional items, etc. Even a Star Wars movie was not released for a few years, the brand was still ingrained within the mainstream and in the world through other means, making the films have that much more hype and as a result, profitability.
Star Wars seems like an industry. The product which can have a connection with Star Wars will be successful. In my opinion, the success of Star Wars’ cartoon or movie products results from the emotional resonance. Star Wars in the US looks like a kind of culture more than just a series of movie. People talk about it, consume it and buy it. If a person doesn’t know it, then one will be wired and difficult to merge in a certain cycle. We can also notice that in the TV series, “the Big Bang Theory”, Sheldon and Howard always mention the Star Wars, which means it is actually a part of the American culture, even the world culture.
It is incredible to see that Star Wars is still met with such great enthusiasm. It seems likely that this movie will be a blockbuster, with industry insiders predicting ticket-presales reaching the $130 domestic mark. The issue I feel, however, is that since this movie is a spinoff, it may not be met with the same amount of popularity or success relative to the previous Star Wars movies. As a result, it may not generate as much money as desired/expected, and so it is important to keep that in mind so as to not be concerned if revenues are not as high as what was expected.
From consumers’ aspect, the Star Wars series is a legend. It is also a spirit for fans and comic lovers. On the other hand, to marketers, it is a successful textbook. Similar to Marvel’s Avengers as well as DC’s superhero movies, they all are in an organized and continuous system, which, help them attract more audience. For other business, they should also consider about this marketing strategy—-let your products attract customers together.
Star Wars is not only a movie, it has been one of American culture and spill over into many industries. It’s almost a myth in the film industry, which has more than 30 years’ history and is still very popular until now. I think the one of successful reason is Star Wars is the first movie that totally create a new world for people. It inspired young people’s dream. The other reason is George Lucas and his company always insist their minds and keep the high-quality production all the way, they pay attention to every detail. They won’t make money at the sacrifice of the quality and reputation of the movie.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens about a year ago netted 2 billion dollars as a motion picture! The reason they got this much money was because it held the power and consideration of its dependable fan base and part of that is for the achievement of the movies and the accomplishment of the other advertising things, for example, toys, books, limited time things, and so forth. Indeed, even a Star Wars motion picture was not discharged for a couple of years, the brand was still imbued inside the standard and on the planet through different means, making the movies have a great deal more buildup and therefore, productivity. Starwars has always been my favorite movies to watch and I collected their toys as a kid. My favorite character is Luke Skywalker!
The Star Wars franchise has become more than just the movies. The franchise now involves toys, video games, to even razors. There is definitely a lot of hype built up for the newest movie. The movie can do well or poorly, but I do not think the franchise will miss out on much because of all of the merchandise being sold to make up for any downfall. More than $30 billion of revenue has been generated, the global movie box office has reached $6.25 billion, VHS/DVD/Digital revenues have hit $5.5 billion, and much more have been accomplished by the franchise.
I like the sales pattern that a series of joint bundling. Since the Star War has a achievement in movies, it is now are more meaning to their customers which is not only movies but also books,game videos and toys, etc. The movie is so great that it has made so many loyal fans. With such a success of movie, the brand awareness of the Star War is attached by most potential customers. This sales pattern works well on loyal fans. As some kind of Apple’s fan, I buy a series of Apple’s products, such as iPhone, iPad, apple watch, iMac and iPod. So, I think this marketing strategy is most suitable for a company that want to make their fans more engage in.
The Star Wars has been very successful. In my opinion, it can achieve such success is not only because it is a well-known series of movie, but also due to its outstanding marketing strategy.
The series themselves has history and it has been not released for considerable amount of time. However, they did REALLY good job in product placement on popular dramas and other movies. The heroes of The Big Bang Theory always mention The Star Wars and they go crazy about it.
Through their marketing strategy, they created a new culture among these fans of The Star Wars. They successfully built emotional connection and the culture with their fans and these fans will achieve mouth-to-mouth marketing strategy for The Star Wars as well as the sale of its Star Wars related products.
As I mentioned, they release items related to the movie, such as a small limited figures(Garage Kits) which is imitate characters of the movie. A lot of fans collecting Star Wars figures. In this way, they will increase movie awareness (brand awareness).
I always knew the Star Wars movie franchise was a big hit, but it is amazing to see how much money this franchise has earned over the years. This holiday season I predict it will be no different. Every little kid will want to go see this movie in the movie theaters and after that will want all the merchandise to go along with it. I can’t wait to see the revenue this movie will make, and who knows maybe they will set new records.
I have actually never seen a single star wars movie, but because I’ve grown up with it being so popular, I already know so much about it. Star Wars has become such a huge franchise that it is almost unheard of to know someone who has never seen at least one movie. The growing fanbase will always be around and will always help the franchise stay alive. My sister is 4 years old and is already a fan, because its still so popular even though it is more than 30 years old. I am very impressed with how Star Wars has kept its franchise strong.
I saw the Star War movie last year, and i consider the movie as a American culture thing. When i was in the movie theater, every time the old characters appear in the scene, people will applaud. Even some fashion brand has more than 1 collection of Star Wars. OMG, that’s amazing.
Starwars has a tremendous name and the amount of products that are offered with the “Star Wars” brand name attached to it is incredible. They range from video games, books, action figures, razors, legos and many other products. This is a win-win situation for the most part for either Star Wars or the company making the product. Star Wars will benefit in the form of royalties, and even a percentage of sales. And the product company will benefit from the Star War named attached to their product as the build up of hype for the new movie or book is coming out, this associates them with the movie and will be more likely for fans of the movie to buy from them.
The Star Wars franchise is one of great magnitude and success. Each installment, whether it be a movie, book, toy, or other product, is met with an incredible enthusiasm from the franchise’s fan base. Although I, personally, have never watched a Star Wars film, it is hard to ignore the franchise’s omnipresence in almost every store. What is so remarkable about the franchise is how after all its years, not only is it still producing new movies that make even those not in the fan base want to get involved, but the franchise can sell virtually any kind of merchandise to advertise the franchise! From all kinds of toys, books, and even razors, as mentioned in the post, Star Wars consumers show a strong loyalty for the franchise that probably won’t ever go away. Not only is it great for the consumers to have almost a never-ending franchise, it is even better for the franchise as it rakes in incredible revenue with each installment.
Going off of the idea of the Star Wars marketing with Gillette’s Star Wars Razor I find it hilarious that people would buy this product after watching the commercial and watching an unboxing video on YouTube. In the box there is a standard razor there is nothing special about it other than the outside of the box which has a picture of a Stormtrooper’s helmet on it. The market price of this item is $10 and is probably marketed to kids that are learning how to shave for the first time.
The Star Wars franchise is honestly brilliant for keeping these stories alive. Making more movies for a new generation of kids has kept the series a live and made the franchise, like it says in the post, a TON of money. I love the Star Wars movies myself so I love that they keep inventing new characters and story lines but still connect it back to the original movies. If I was the company producing these movies, I would keep making them until they didn’t make any more money, but I don’t see that happening any time soon. May the force be with you, Star Wars.
Star wars successfully makes an emotional connection with viewers–it is not just a movie. Consumers are willing to buy some products related to Star wars because of this emotional link. More movies and TV shows also have the great influence on people, which I consider it as a success. Just like when people talk about Star wars, they are still big fans of it because they have formed an emotional preference with it.