Star Wars started way back in 1977 with one movie from George Lucas that became a pop culture phenomenon that would eventually span decades and generations. This movie, which would later be named Episode IV: A New Hope. Just three years later, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released and in another three years was Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. These three films made up the original trilogy. A prequel trilogy was release between 1999 and 2005, and the sequel trilogy started in 2015, after Disney acquired the company in 2012, and will finish up in 2019.
Throughout the years, Star Wars has become a pop culture phenomenon. Today, parents and even grandparents enjoy sharing their love of Star Wars with their children and grandchildren. Disney is banking on continued popularity, and they expect to see huge profits from the franchise.
Here are three reasons why Star Wars will be good for business in 2019!
1 – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be a success.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open in 2019 on both coasts. The west coast will see the first installment in Disneyland in May, while the east coast will have to wait until the end of August. Both lands will be nearly identical at 14 acres of real estate with two E-ticket attractions.
Guests will experience a totally immersive experience like none before it. There will be entirely new food and drink offerings, entertainment, and shopping. Experts say this could be Disney’s most important (read: most profitable) addition in two decades.
Disneyland already raised their prices, and Walt Disney World followed suit. This will undoubtedly increase profit margins especially since Disney has already reported increased revenue even while attendance remained stagnant in their last fiscal year.
In Disney World, a new boutique Star Wars Hotel will open just outside of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This will add to the more than two dozen existing Disney resort hotels and provide an even more immersive experience for fans.
2 – Star Wars: Episode IX will hit theaters.
There are actually three trilogies within the Star Wars saga. The original Episodes are IV, V, and VI. The prequel Episodes are I, II, and III. And the sequel trilogies are Episodes VII, VIII, and the upcoming Episode IX.
Episode IX will be the final installment of the original movies. It will be available in theaters in time for Christmas on December 20th, 2019, which will actually be in Disney’s fiscal year 2020. Critics expect this to be one of the highest grossing films of all time joining the likes of Avatar, several Marvel movies, Pirates Of The Caribbean, and other Star Wars movies, all of which are owned by Disney!
Episode IX doesn’t have an official title yet, but you can bet it will be epic.
3 – The Mandalorian will stream live on Disney+.
While Episode IX is the end of the final trilogy, don’t expect Star Wars to go away. After all, George Lucas created an entire universe with an original language, fully-developed characters, and interesting locales. There are already several standalone films and intermediary films that fill in the blanks of the episodic films, and there are more to come. The possibilities are virtually endless!
This is evident in Disney’s revival of a planned series that was never brought to audience. The Mandalorian started development in 2009, and within three years, more then 50 scripts had been created. It was to be titled Star Wars: Underworld, but development ended because the storyline was determined cost prohibitive.
When Disney acquired Star Wars in 2012, they focused publicly on the films, but they were secretly working on an all-new streaming service that we would later find out will be called Disney+. This service will have exclusive content, original shows, and every single Disney movie ever produced plus new shows based on their franchises like Marvel and LucasFilm.
While The Mandalorian may not be ready when Disney+ hits the market, it will eventually be part of the streaming lineup. Like the intermediary films before it, The Mandalorian will fill in the blanks. It follow a gunfighter after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order, which places it between Episodes VII and VIII.
Star Wars fans are devoted and dependable. Even in a world cluttered with subscription services, it’s likely that The Mandalorian will be a subscription driver for Disney+.
How will you support Star Wars with your wallet this year?