‘Star Wars' Toy Sales Fall in 2017 as Movie-Tie Fatigue Sets In'
Playthings based on the “Star Wars” saga -- the franchise that kicked off the whole phenomenon four decades ago -- were down in 2017 despite a new film, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” in December during the all-important holiday-shopping season.
Call it “Star Wars” burnout, or better yet “movie fatigue,” said Gerrick Johnson, an analyst for BMO Capital Markets. Hollywood and toymakers have fixated on toy-friendly films at a time when kids are increasingly turning to YouTube, Netflix and social media for entertainment.
It's entertaining watching them try to make excuses for the "last Jedi" and it's failing merchandise sales. If this film would have actually been a real Star Wars film, their toy sales would be though the roof, and it would still be one of the top movies in the country. Within a month of being released, the "last Jedi" had quietly fallen out of the Top 5 films.