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Vintage "Star Wars" merch skyrockets in value

Feb 2, 2024
It may have all started in a galaxy far, far way, but buying and selling vintage "Star Wars" merchandise is now a huge and growing market, worth millions of dollars.
"Star Wars" holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful film merchandising franchise in history.
Ollie Millington/Getty Images

That best-selling romance book? It might be based on fan fiction

Sep 6, 2023
Major publishing houses are looking to popular fan fiction sites to find new authors.
One popular fan fiction romantic pairing is Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver in the "Star Wars" movies, and Rey Skywalker.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images

There's a reason behind the scant merchandising of Baby Yoda

Dec 24, 2019
What Child is this? It was very un-Disney to leave the wee green one off store shelves this holiday season. Strategists explain why.
Disney has some basic Baby Yoda merchandise on its online store, like T-shirts and phone cases.
Katherine Wiles/Marketplace, screenshots via shopDisney

Comic-Con at 50: still the place for epic fandom

Jul 19, 2019
What started as a small gathering of comics enthusiasts in 1970 has turned into a massive testament to the power of fandom.
A cosplayer makes her way to the convention center during Comic-Con in San Diego, California, on Thursday.
Photo by Chris Delmas/AFP

At Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the pretend planet is the ride

May 31, 2019
Seth Kubersky, who wrote the "Unofficial Guide to Disneyland," says the new attraction is a way for Disney to compete with the Harry Potter-themed worlds at Universal theme parks.
Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opened to the public Friday at the Anaheim, California, park.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Did superheroes kill all the other movies?

Mar 5, 2018
No major movie studio would make an Academy Award-winning movie like Rain Man today, says Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Fritz: “It’s an original idea. It’s driven by movie stars. It’s a domestic film.”  In his new book, “The Big Picture: The Fight for the Future of Movies,” Fritz writes about the rise of the […]

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Disney's "Star Wars" terms are a financial burden for small theaters

Nov 7, 2017
Erich Schwartzel wrote about the tough tactics — like requiring 65 percent of ticket sales — for the Wall Street Journal.
 Rian Johnson, director of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," at Disney's D23 EXPO 2017 in Anaheim, California in July.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

"Star Wars" movie directors are more brand shepherds than auteurs

Sep 6, 2017
Directors need to be creative but also be able to make a movie in the style that is already established.
(L-R) Actors Gwendoline Christie, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Director Rian Johnson, actors Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney