Star Wars and Disney- a match made in heaven?
We don’t know about you, but we at Discuss are big Star Wars fans! So for this post, we wanted to take a look at Disney’s contribution to the franchise.
Disney acquired LucasArts back in 2012 for a record breaking £2.5 billion with plans to release several films over the coming years, including 2015 box office smash Star Wars the Force Awakens.
Quickly becoming the highest grossest film of all time in the US, the Force Awakens has become a global phenomenon, with Disney confirming in January that their film surpassed “Avatar’s $760.50 million record in just 20 days.” On top of this, Star Wars has resulted in Disney delivering “the highest quarterly earnings in the history of our company,” according to CEO Robert Iger.
So why has this film gained such commercial success? Films are so much more than just the 130 odd minutes you spend watching; the build up to the film, and your need for more content afterwards fuels the sales machine, one which Disney has an extensive history of running perfectly. So what’s important? How does Disney get it right every time?
Staying true to the story
To succeed, it was obvious Disney needed to entice new fans, but keep the fans of the original saga happy. To achieve this with the film, they included the best of the old, like original characters, weapons, locations and vehicles, and combined this with the best of the new, like strong female characters, new villains and cute droids! The result was a treacherous, fun filled adventure packed with nostalgia!
Merchandise
Certainly one way to raise awareness of your franchise is to market it to as many consumers as possible. From specialised cereals, clothes, toys, Christmas decorations and cakes to bed sheets and Lego, fans are not short of choice in their memorabilia! Ranging from the inexpensive to the items costing hundreds of pounds, our personal favourite is the BB-8 Interactive Robotic Droid by Sphero.
Star Wars Land
Disney theme parks and resorts are already boasting Star Wars features, but Star Wars Land currently under construction in Florida and California will step up the fan experience, offering guests interactive experiences with characters, a launch pad area, rides, food and more; most importantly, who wants to fly the Millennium Falcon? Though specifics are being drip-fed via Disney, no doubt the new additions to the parks will generate a substantial income!
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