“Force Friday” will probably go down in history as the day that many a person was forced from their paycheck.
Disney unveiled this Star Wars: The Force Awakens “Global Toy Unboxing Live Stream Event” last night, an epic showing of new toys based off the new movie. Featuring 18 hours of footage from 15 cities/12 countries, you can watch several YouTubers from the Maker Studios network unwrap new Star Wars toys with glee and excitement.
Disney unleashed the preview to “ignite fan excitement,” for the movie and, of course, its merchandise, according to this report in Variety.
The toys featured included that adorable BB-8 from Sphero, Hasbro’s action figure of Kylo Ren, Poe’s X-wing fighter from Lego, Nerf’s First Order Stormtrooper Deluxe Blaster and of course, kids’ costumes for Halloween.
There is even, get this, a Millennium Falcon drone (see right).
The broadcast moved through Australia, Asia, Europe, Canada, South America and concluded in the U.S. with toy geeks seriously geeking out about all the gear in multiple languages.
According to Variety, the video was a preview of “Force Friday,” or Sept. 4, when many of these items go on sale at popular retail outlets, including Target, Toys ‘R’ Us and the Disney Store.
“Sales of merchandise related to the movie franchise could exceed $5 billion in the 12 months following the film’s premiere, according to Macquarie Research estimates,” writes Variety.
Of course, it’s also a build-up to the holiday season and film’s launch Dec. 18. This YouTube “Force Friday” promo is aimed at “collectors and adult fans,” with the full onslaught planned for November.
In any case, you should probably watch the Lego re-creation of the epic Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back around minute 25. It’s incredible. See the picture below:
