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 The marketing push called "Force Friday II" is a sequel to an
event Disney used to build buzz for merchandise tied to the 2015
movie "The Force Awakens."
Star Wars products were a big contributor to the financial
success of the series reboot. BB-8 droids, lightsabers and other
playthings made "Star Wars" the U.S. toy industry's top-selling
property for 2015 and 2016, with $1.5 billion in sales over the
two years, research firm NPD said.
Hasbro Inc cited "Star Wars" sales when it reported its biggest
quarterly revenue rise in nearly five years for the December
2015 quarter. Mattel Inc also posted a surprise rise in sales
for the same period with help from "Star Wars"-based Hot Wheels
toys. And at Disney, licensing income from "Force Awakens"
merchandise drove record quarterly operating income in the
consumer products unit.
Force Friday II will begin just after midnight on Sept 1. Lego,
Hasbro and others will release the first toys, apparel, books
and other products tied to "The Last Jedi," both online and in
stores at retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Target, Toys
R Us, Kohl's, Amazon.com Inc and Disney Stores.
Disney will incorporate new technology to its "Last Jedi"
products like it did with the popular BB-8 droid, said James
Pitaro, chairman of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive
Media. New products will feature returning characters such as
Rey and Finn, plus new ones, and will span a broad range of
categories for male and female fans, he said.
"One of our top priorities is to expand the audience," Pitaro
said.
"The Last Jedi," the eighth installment in the "Star Wars" movie
saga that began in 1977, debuts in theaters Dec. 15. Toys
typically hit shelves closer to a movie's release, around four
to six weeks in advance.
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At the 2015 Force Friday, fans dressed as Stormtroopers and Jedi
waited in line for hours ahead of the midnight store openings.
"There was a certain mania that took over," said Marty Brochstein, a
senior vice president at the International Licensing Industry
Merchandisers' Association. The excitement around "Star Wars" in
2015 was unique because it had been so long since the last film,
Brochstein said.
"It would be unfair to expect the same kind of volume generated this
time around by consumer products," he said, adding it was too early
to assess demand.
Pitaro said Disney continues to see "very, very healthy sales" of
"Star Wars" merchandise. "We have a lot of confidence we will
continue in that direction," he said.
Disney bought "Star Wars" producer Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion
and reintroduced the franchise with "Force Awakens." That movie
became the third-highest grossing ever, selling $2 billion worth of
tickets worldwide. Disney also released "Star Wars" spinoff "Rogue
One" in 2016.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine,; Editing by Peter Henderson & Shri
Navaratnam)
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