When Star Wars was released in 1977, film fans were amazed by the incredible special effects and originality of the story. Over the years, the films have launched the careers of stars like Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford and today the film franchise is as popular as ever, with fans eagerly anticipating the next instalment.
When Disney bought the rights to produce more Star Wars films in 2012, many fans voiced their concerns that the films wouldn’t be as good as when the creator, George Lucas, was in charge. Although, many are excited for a return visit to the Star Wars galaxy. The franchise’s fans are famously very passionate about the ‘space opera’ that came out of nowhere in the seventies and changed the special effects industry forever.
As the fans are so loyal, Star Wars generates impressive revenue from merchandise. The franchise even won a place in the Guinness World Records for being the ‘most successful film merchandising franchise’ and in 2012 it was estimated that the franchise was worth £19.51 billion.
The breadth of Star Wars merchandise is huge and encompasses everything from clothing, toys, console games, Lego, comic books, a series of novels – and even Star Wars cars.
Serious fans also decorate their walls at home or work with Star Wars memorabilia, using posters, wallpaper and photos to remind them of their favourite film. Wall murals are more permanent that posters and help fans turn their room into a permanent Star Wars shrine, whether they want to have a giant image of Princess Amidala in their living room, a collage of all their favourite characters or a huge image of the Death Star.
One of the reasons fans love Star Wars so much is the escapism element of the fantastical storyline and setting, so adding a Star Wars theme to your home décor is a brilliant way of bringing a little bit of the unique Star Wars universe into your life.
The special effects in the films were outstanding when they first came out and have continued to improve with each decade. The high production values are another reason people love the films so much, and so is the casting. Previous films have starred well-respected actors like Alec Guinness, Terence Stamp, Ewan McGregor and Celia Imrie.
In the seventh instalment, a fresh cast of famous faces is set to join the Star Wars galaxy including Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie (better known as Game of Throne’s Brienne), Adam Driver of Girls-fame and Andy Serkis. Plus, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamil from the original film will be back as their original characters.
The news that the film will be feature of the original Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia has excited fans no end – and if they can’t wait until December for the film’s release at least they can decorate their homes Star Wars-style and stock up on merchandise in preparation.
Amazing post! That bat mobile turned Darth mobile is the coolest car I’ve seen!! The wall art is great too…this is completely apartment inspiration!
Yeah, amazing work on that one…you’d move over if you saw that in your rear view mirror!