EnOn Star Wars Day it is worth taking stock of the recent performance of the brand, and potential developments during the rest of the year. U.S. seaborne imports of all Star Wars-related merchandise dropped 22% in the 12 months to April 30 on the same period a year earlier, Panjiva data shows.
That included a 13% drop in figures and models, a 12% slide in costumes and a 69% slump in videogames. The latter can be seen against the backdrop of a broader drop in the videogame industry aside from Nintendo’s new Switch platform, as outlined in Panjiva research of April 14. One area of outperformance has been Lego tie-ins, which have climbed 270% in common with the rest of the Lego brand.
The major driver for the broad based decline is likely due to the most recent film, “Rogue One”, being outside of the main series of films and having less related merchandise (58 items listed by Disney vs. 120 for “ The Force Awakens”). The next film in the series, “The Last Jedi” marks a return to the main series and might therefore lead to a ramp-up in imports. Evidence of this may not become apparent until June as imports ahead of the “ Force Friday” release of merchandise begins on September 1.
Source: Panjiva
