Case Study: Star Wars 2015

Having made the decision in the lesson to have ‘Star Wars’ as our case study for this year (was ‘Cinderella’ last time) click on: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/10/star-wars-the-marketing-force-awakens

 This article is really well-researched and has lots of facts and figures about marketing and branding of the new film. As well as for your exam, you can relate it to your own film opening research and planning by saying you are looking at how films are marketed in the UK and how you, as a small low-budget film producer, have to compete with the likes of Disney for viewers!

Key points from the 'Guardian' article:

The first 'Star Wars' film was in 1977; in 2015, as the franchise approaches its seventh big-screen instalment, interest in Star Wars shows no sign of abating – this week bringing news of a new film about Han Solo and of a reappearance for Darth Vader.

“Countless fans around the world are in a constant state of vigilance waiting for the release of new poster art, new trailers and other titbits and information,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box-office monitor Rentrak. “It’s hard to imagine any other movie franchise that could evoke a level of passion, enthusiasm and excitement.”

The latest bout of Star Wars mania dates from the Hollywood studio Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm from the film’s creator, George Lucas, in 2012; the $4bn acquisition was accompanied by an announcement of three more sequential “episodes” – VII, VIII and IX – plus then unspecified plans for spin-off movies and “standalones” to plug the gaps in the release schedule.

The second such spin-off will be: an “origins story” about Han Solo, the intergalactic smuggler played by Harrison Ford in the first three films, which is scheduled to be released in May 2018.

The first spin-off – or “anthology film”, as they are known to Star Wars aficionados – Rogue One, which will arrive in cinemas in 2016. Directed by Gareth Edwards (catapulted to fame through Vertigo Films' 'Monsters' in 2010 which won him awards for the special effects) and starring The Theory of Everything’s Felicity Jones, this film will outline a rebel mission to steal the plans of the Death Star, a key plot element of the first film in 1977. 

In creating a multi-stranded, multi-character cinema “universe” around Star Wars, Lucasfilm-Disney are taking their cue from the phenomenally successful series of films produced by Marvel Studios – which Disney also acquired, in 2009.

Disney has brought a whole new level of marketing savvy to an already popular product: Dergarabedian cites the decision to make all six existing Star Wars films available on streaming services as “a brilliant way to stoke the fires and build the anticipation for the new film and reinvigorate the idea of Star Wars in the minds of the fans”.

The level of unbridled enthusiasm that has surrounded Star Wars for at least the last two decades is evidenced by what has become known as the “Expanded Universe”: the plethora of novels, comic books, video games and merchandising that Lucasfilm has created or licensed over the years.

This ancillary material began emerging as far back as 1978, but was given a massive kick by the mushrooming of the internet in the 1990s – for which Star Wars fandom was an ideal pursuit – even providing a platform for one of the earliest, and most influential “fan films”: a reality-TV parody called Troops, which first appeared in 1997. Roleplay and fan participation shows no sign of slowing: in the UK, event-cinema brand Secret Cinema have found considerable commercial success with their live staging of The Empire Strikes Back.

Michael Rosser, news editor for Screen International, suggests that it is this “shared universe” of highly infectious nostalgia that keeps Star Wars in pole position among film franchises. “The great thing about the original films was that they created a huge universe of characters and possibility that sparked the imagination of viewers,” he said.

In a film business where branding is all, and a successful franchise the answer to everybody’s prayers, is there a risk that movie studios will simply become branding machines, and lose their interest in cinema for its own sake?

Rosser thinks not. “As the saying goes: it’s not show-show, it’s showbusiness. They are desperate to ensure the longevity of the franchise, and make sure the quality is kept up. They are also trying to bring people into the theatres at a time when lots are staying home for entertainment. But you don’t want to watch Star Wars on your iPhone, so I don’t think it’s going to run out of steam any time soon.”

Meanwhile, Dergarabedian is anticipating massive business when The Force Awakens reaches cinemas in December. “We are certainly looking at a record opening for December, and should go on to make at least a billion dollars worldwide. Truly, Star Wars is the ultimate movie brand.”