The Glory and Revenue of Star Wars Merchandising: Plastic Galaxy #SciFiSunday
It’s fairly common knowledge that Geroge Lucas took a pay cut to direct Star Wars: A New Hope in exchange for securing exclusive rights to merchandising and sequels. In backing himself, George Lucas ended up at the helm of an entertainment empire. But what’s less well known is how Lucas financed Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. With the world of nerddom clamoring for more Star Wars stories, Lucas sold licensing for the movie to Hasbro for $100,000. He used that money to make the movie. The Phantom Menace was the most expensive independent movie ever made, and it didn’t cost George Lucas a dime. But he made all the profits. Say what you will about his skills at dialogue and casting, George Lucas is a brilliant businessman. (His buddy Francis Ford Coppola recently beat Lucas out with Megalopolis, a self-funded movie that cost Coppola $160,000 to make.)
A documentary called Plastic Galaxy takes viewers on a tour of the massive merchandising empire of Star Wars. A review from Exclaim! described the documentary as “niche even by the extreme standards of Star Wars,” a ringing endorsement if ever there was one.
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