Thirty-five days and counting before one of the most-awaited films of the century premieres and the fans are burning up cyberspace with force -- fan force. Hundreds of Star Wars addicts are logging on to FanForce.net to share their anticipation for the last installment of the blockbuster Star Wars series "Return of the Sith" (ROTS) and to discuss the merchandise seeping into stores to promote the film.
As with all movie premieres, get ready for Lucasfilm, LTD's next wave of film merchandising to saturate stores and your purview.
Scheduled to open in theaters May 19, six days before the anniversary of the original movie's release, ROTS has fans waiting with baited eyes and ears to fill movie houses. To satisfy their hunger -- and to bring anxiety to a fevered pitch -- manufacturers like Drew Pearson and Sony are flooding the markets with everything from Darth Vader football jerseys to iPod covers.
"Lucasfilm Licensing is brilliant," said one chatter that goes by the user ID of Balzuh in the FanForce forum ROTS. "By making tie-ins with other brands (M & M's, Legos, etc.) they get all kinds of free PR."
Lucasfilm Licensing, formed in 1979, reaches into 100-plus countries and has become one of the most successful film-based merchandising companies ever. The program boasts more than $8 billion in consumer sales worldwide, the best-selling action figures of all time and more than 60 best selling books.
Fans are racing to buy up collectibles at stores like Wal-Mart, Target and online at the official site starwarsshop.com.
James Weakley, 22, is one fan that chooses not to spend his money on merchandise but is anticipating the movie.
"I'm curious how they will handle this episode," said the U of M senior English major. "I'm hoping they will regain the spirit of the Trilogy."
The Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis will host Celebration III April 21-24. The fan festival will welcome for the first time Star Wars creator George Lucas and fans are very excited about his debut appearance.
"I'm pretty sure this is the best news I've heard in a while," said chat fan Pooja. "Wow."
Excited wasn't strong enough an adjective to describe fans awaiting the April 2 "Midnight Madness" merchandise release campaign at stores across the nation. Top retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us teamed up with Hasbro, Inc. to offer exclusive items, extended hours, parties and other events.
At 8:34 p.m. on April 1, chat fan "kapitandg" posted, "me and my friends are gonna leave pretty soon to just hang out in front of Toys R Us till it opens."
Unfortunately, fans are being warned to watch out for toys with "spoilers" - details that give away the movie's plot.
"The toy collection we're launching will get fans as excited as they could possibly be about the movie and toy line overall," Eric Nyman, Hasbro's director of marketing for Star Wars merchandise, told Reuters. "The hints that exist will get people more excited."
If more excited is even possible -- some fans are so excited they began lining up to see the movie 42 days before its release.
On April 2 at 1 p.m., Jedi wannabes from around the world started logging hours in line at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. This is the theater where the original Star Wars premiered and that Lucas sat across from in 1977 amazed at the number of people who came to see his movie. The fans have raised more than $6,200 for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation so far.
The Star Wars saga has made Lucas a very rich man and his movies have amassed hundreds of thousands of diehard fans of all ages. The original movie is the second-highest grossing movie of all time. With the major promotional push happening now, many fans predict that Episode III could exceed its predecessors.
"I predict that this movie is going to break all records because it is the last one and will interest the most people that aren't fans because they would like to see the transformation of Anakin to Vader," said chat fan Celestial.
ROTS picks up three years after Episode II. Anakin Skywalker is lured to the Dark Side of The Force, the Clone Wars continue and the birth of Luke Skywalker is imminent.
On opening weekend, expect the lines to be long, the times to sell out quickly and the energy to be electric. May The Force be with you.
