The Star Wars franchise changed the world forever when it first premiered back in 1977. The iconic movie series seemed to take over the public stratosphere for decades by constantly drawing in new fans from every corner of the globe. Nowadays, however, the property may be in some trouble. According to recent data, it seems like Star Wars is struggling to win over the younger generations.
There’s lots of evidence that points to this being the case. One of them is Galaxy’s Edge in California. The theme park designed around the cinematic world created by George Lucas was supposed to be a huge moneymaker for Disney. While there were many initial reservations for the much-anticipated location, they turned out not to be necessary as attendance has been much lower than expected. To add insult to injury, Disney Parks’ primary competition, Universal Studios Hollywood saw a rise in attendance during that same time due to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Additionally, Star Wars merchandise sales have been continuing to drop for years now. Following an initial spike after Star Wars: The Force Awakens back in 2015, these numbers have been declining steadily ever since. Apparently, kids just don’t want toys based on the new characters and would much rather spend their parents’ money on products from Marvel.
Following the franchise’s first box office bomb last year, these trends have to be worrying executives at Disney. They’ve invested a lot of money into both the theme parks and subsequent installments of the franchise. If children are no longer onboard with the intergalactic adventure series, then it’ll be a big disappointment.
The company will do fine financially, of course, due to their many other assets, but they still undoubtedly want to see Star Wars be the moneymaking machine they’ve always expected it to be. If the next movie underperforms, the conversation around the franchise will suddenly become much more worrisome. Hopefully, it’ll do enough to draw more kids into the theater. If not, though, some serious changes will need to be made in order to right the ship.