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Show of interest: The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian, whose first season released in November 2019, is arguably the biggest hit not just for Disney, but across streaming platforms.

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The excitement around the adventures of the helmet-wearing bounty hunter and his cute apprentice, meme-worthy Grogu, aka “The Child” aka “Baby Yoda,” has built and lasted year after year. The successful second season spawned two spin-off series, The Book of Boba Fett, and the upcoming Ahsoka.

Disney+ has other blockbuster Star Wars titles up its sleeves, too. For instance: Obi-Wan Kenobi, which came out in mid-2022, clocked the biggest premiere for any Star Wars TV series, narrowly beating the second season of The Mandalorian. It excited fans because Ewan McGregor reprised his role as the titular character from the pre-Disney era. But while Obi-Wan Kenobi still pulls on a thread from the original Star Wars-verse, The Mandalorian perfectly straddles nostalgia and novelty, welcoming both age-old fans and newcomers with no previous context or knowledge of the franchise.

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Where Star Wars makes its money

Star Wars merchandising has always gone far beyond just action figures and tote bags, well before Disney came into the fray.

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On the publishing side, novels and comics have been released to drum up excitement for upcoming films. On the more unabashed merchandise front, there’s shower heads, dog costumes, and barbecue utensils. And if it weren’t a child-friendly brand, there may have been “condoms and sex toys” thrown in the mix too, according to Charles Lippincott, the marketing genius who was responsible for promoting and licensing the first part of the Star Wars trilogy.

Already in 2015, with the first Disney-Star Wars release, Disney was poised to make $5-$7 billion in merchandising revenue. That figure likely only grew over time.

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Star Wars theme park trial and error

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there’s an immersive world called Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge filled with rides and retail.

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One attraction, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser —dubbed “the Star Wars hotel”—initially generated a lot of buzz, but the $5,000-for-two price tag for two nights turned many people off. The 100-room attraction has struggled to sell out. Disney started cutting back on the frequency of voyages, and running sales on ticket prices for select members and cardholders. It even started paying people to come stay as part of a focus group study to figure out what’s wrong.

There are wrinkles to iron out, but as the company builds and rebuilds a fanbase for the Star Wars franchise, there’s immense amusement park entertainment potential to tap into. Especially as Disney gears up to build a fifth theme park in Florida, announced more than 25 years after the fourth one, Animal Kingdom, opened in 1988.

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