Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) has released fan-made YouTube videos associated with the upcoming film from the Star Wars franchise. The fan-made videos were made using the latest Star Wars toys.
Walt Disney also launched the toys for the upcoming film Rogue One so that they will be available for purchase by Star Wars fans. The company has been using such opportunities to maximize its toy sales. The company’s plan is to make the toys available a few months prior to the launch of the film which will take place in December. This will provide an opportunity to take advantage of the buildup towards the film.
Disney has also been engaging fans by encouraging them to make videos using the action figures. The videos will be uploaded on the company’s YouTube channel. The company will also launch sales for some of the other toys and action figures from manufacturers such as Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT), JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK) and Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS). The products from these companies will be launched towards the end of September. Disney hopes that the toy sales will be as good as the toy sales from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which was released in December 2015. The movie performed very well and was highly anticipated, partly because it was the first installment from the Star Wars Franchise to be released in more than ten years.
The company hopes that it can replicate the same level of sales both from toy sales and revenue from the film. 2016 sales related to the franchise should be flat compared to sales in 2015 at around $500 million, said Hasbro in one of its statements.
Disney reported that its consumer products including its toy licensing business and its interactive media unit have been experiencing a decline over the last two quarters. This is because the sales it experienced from 2015 were so high that it was hard to match them. Those sales are mostly tied to the animated film Frozen. The company hopes that Rogue One will offer a similar level of success.