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Written by Andrew Wills
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was the
little sci-fi movie that could - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. At the time,
though, it was just known as Star Wars, and it created a franchise unlike
anything seen before.
In 2005, Forbes magazine estimated that the Star Wars
franchise, from the time it began in the late seventies, had generated more
than twenty billion dollars in revenue, and with six big screen success
stories, at least three spin-off films, five licensed television shows, and
thousands of books, comic books, and toys, its no surprise. What might be a
surprise, though, is that by the time Star Wars creator George Lucas finished
the first film, he was over-budget, out of time, and convinced the film would
be a flop. Early screenings of the film did little to improve Lucas ideas that
the film would be any kind of success, but when it was finally released in the
summer of 1977, the film earned nearly seven million dollars in its first
weekend. It is considered to be the second highest profitable film of all time.
More than Great Films
Ask any Star Wars fan, though, and
theyll tell you its not just about the movies, its also about the associated
merchandise. The initial film was predicted to be a flop, so no merchandise was
created to debut with the films release. The toy company, Kenner, though had
purchased the license to sell associate products By Christmas of 1977, demand
was so high, Kenner created an “Early Bird Special” kit. The kit held
a certificate fans could send in for four 3 ¾ inch figures as soon as
they became available. On Christmas morning, thousands of kids got empty
cardboard envelopes that held only a display stand, a Star Wars club card, a
few stickers, and a certificate they could put their name and address on, mail
in, and wait for several months for the first Star Wars toys ever produced to
arrive. Months later, lots of kids did get Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia,
R2-D2, and Chewbacca in the mail, and years later, these four figures are
considered to be some of the most valuable action figures on the collectors
market today.
Explosive Industry Growth
As you can
probably imagine, the Star Wars toy and merchandise franchise has grown
considerably since the Christmas of 1977. Once Kenner geared up the production
machine, it slowed for no one. From additional action figures to vehicles,
playsets, and lightsabers, the vintage Star Wars toy market had everything. As
Episodes V and VI were released, more toys hit the market. T-shirts, bed
sheets, toothbrushes, combs, and watches were all part of the marketing
campaign as well.
After the release of Return of the Jedi, though, the
Star Wars marketing machine slowed considerably. People seemed to thing the
Star Wars market was nearing the end. However, in the late 1990s, a new line of
Star Wars action figures was released. Dubbed “The Power of the
Force” line, these green carded figures created a whole new generation of
collectors, and with the release of the special edition of the original
trilogy, and the subsequent release of Star Wars Episode I, the marketing
machine kicked back into high gear. From bubble bath to sandals, the Star Wars
name can be found on almost anything these days, and with talk of additional
television series, DVDs, and even other films, its hard to tell when the
franchise will ever slow down.
The author, Andrew Wills, is a
professional working in Canada and is the Admin of the website content page
http://www.content-web-site.com Article Directory. This
article can also be found at SplitSecondBooks.com, where you will find books on
many exciting topics of interest. For more information please go to
http://www.splitsecondbooks.com today.
Star
Wars MOVIES - Click Here!
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Collectible Department
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