"Star Wars": campaign of superlatives

Plastic laser swords are piled up in a metal box at the checkouts. Each one costs 22.99 dollars, a bargain compared to the premium red or green version two shelves away for 173.99 dollars. All around stand, lie and hang gloves, caps, plastic spaceships, talking Yoda heads and waist-high Darth Vaders that make scary noises at the touch of a button. The main store of toy chain Toys'R'Us in New York's Times Square has cleared a large part of its sales area for "Star Wars" merchandise, and the chain has announced an "extra-galactic global party" for all its stores in anticipation of the film.

There are still around two months to go before the eagerly awaited seventh episode of the saga - "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" - hits cinemas in mid-December, but a superlative marketing campaign is already underway. The "Star Wars" saga already holds the record for the film series with the most successful merchandising business, but never before has a film been advertised as heavily and on as many channels as "The Force Awakens",
say experts.

Advertising more expensive than the movie

The producing Disney studios had already released a first trailer last November, which was viewed several dozen million times within a week. A second trailer in April proved to be even more successful. The release of a third is apparently imminent.

In May, the US magazine "Vanity Fair" featured many of the actors on the cover, photographed by star photographer Annie Leibovitz. The film has also been advertised on all social media channels and at comic fairs for months.

The merchandising, which has been available since the beginning of September, also includes several books and a computer game, which, according to the New York Times, cost 180 million dollars to develop. Nine million people tested an initial beta version on the Internet.

There will also be an exhibition of costumes from the saga in New York's Times Square, including those of Darth Vader, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala, R2-D2, Han Solo, Chewbacca and Jabba the Hutt. According to experts, the total advertising costs for the film are said to have been significantly higher than the filming budget of 200 million dollars.

New with Lupita Nyong'o

After ten years of waiting, fans' anticipation and expectations are huge. There have been six "Star Wars" films so far, most recently "Revenge of the Sith" in 2005. "The Force Awakens" will be a mixture of old "Star Wars" greats such as Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford with new additions such as Adam Driver and, above all, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o. And experts estimate that not only the marketing, but also the film's revenue could break records. On the opening weekend alone, the film could bring in more than 500 or even 600 million dollars worldwide, breaking the previous record of "Jurassic World", which opened in June with around 524 million dollars. A rosy outlook for the "Star Wars" makers - especially as parts eight and nine of the fantasy series are also set to follow in 2019. (Christina Horsten/DPA/SDA).