The countdown begins for the presentation of the “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” movie products.
Disney and Lucasfilm have announced Force Friday II, the global event dedicated to fans of all ages to celebrate the launch of the new products that are inspired by the well awaited movie “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”. Toys, collectables, books, clothing and much more are set to be on sale from midnight (00.01) of 1st September 2017 and sales points across the world are preparing to open their doors to celebrate this excellent Star Wars event.
“The first Force Friday, in 2015, was a unique event that united fans from 5 continents in a global celebration of the Star Wars world” declared Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “We are really emotional about announcing that the Force Friday event will be repeated for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”. The program of events this year is even more top secret but something epic is about to take place, to match the expectations that have been formed of the next episode of the Star Wars saga”.
In 2015, fans from around the world participated in Force Friday, with hundreds of thousands of people that attended shops at the strike of midnight to be amongst the first to hold the exclusive Star Wars: The Force Awakens merchandise in their hands. On that occasion, the toys in the line were unveiled at an unboxing event that was live streamed throughout the world, with over 18 hours of video from 15 different cities and 12 countries, generating millions of YouTube views. Fans shared their experiences on social media networks, with almost 3 billion Tweets recorded, using the hashtag #forcefriday.
Jill Wilfert, Vice President of global licensing and entertainment of the LEGO Group, confirms, “It has been very emotional taking part in the Force Friday event in 2016, and we can’t wait to involve fans once again during Force Friday II, when we unveil brand new products that are inspired by “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” . It is set to be a global event full of fans and families, giving everyone the possibility to create and share experiences with the world.
Details of how fans can participate in the event shall be revealed later on, but the launch will give life to a really unique experience for fans on a global scale, using new technology along with the mythology of the Star Wars saga. Just like in 2015, the “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” products will remain secret until Force Frida II, the day in which many surprises will be unveiled to fans. Other than introducing new characters of the film in toy form, the line will consolidate the success of products such as BB8 and Sphere, introducing technology that is even more innovative to make the characters and stories of Episode VIII as realistic as possible.
“The toys have always occupied an essential role in the Star Wars universe, and we are proud to have been part of this patrimony for the last 40 years. The new line of “star Wars: The Last Jedi” products is the most innovative to date, and we are looking forward to the unveiling during Force Friday II” comments Samantha Lomow, Senior Vice President at Hasbro.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the film that has made most profit of all time in the United States, and this success was also replicated in retail. NPD declared that Star Wars was the most sold line in the United States in 2016 and 2015, and during the Force Friday week, for every $11 spent in toys, $1 was spent in Star Wars products alone.
The popularity of the movie also took Star Wars into the top 10 toys for girls and boys, for the first time in 2015.
The new packaging of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” products was unveiled to the public today. The packaging sees the female heroine protagonist Rey, next to Poe Dameron and Finn. The heroic trio will be seen on the Star Wars packaging from 1st September 2017.
To stay up to date on #ForceFriday and all of the products that are arriving with the “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” movie, it is possible to visit the site at StarWars.com and follow online conversations using the hashtag #ForceFridayII.
