My Fleep: Movies
Star Wars: The Franchise That May Never Disappear
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, it's 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 they'll tell you it's
not just about the movies, it's also about the associated
merchandise. The initial film was predicted to be a flop,
so no merchandise was created to debut with the film's
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,
it's 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.
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, it's 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 they'll tell you it's
not just about the movies, it's also about the associated
merchandise. The initial film was predicted to be a flop,
so no merchandise was created to debut with the film's
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,
it's 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.
