The Lucasfilm acquisition put Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Disney on the fast track to financial success.
Jonathan Olley
Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm six years ago apparently was a galactically good investment, it turns out.
The $4.05 billion deal was announced in 2012. Disney has made over $4.8 billion from the four Star Wars films released since then, and that’s not counting licensing and merchandise deals, CNBC reports.
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The four features are The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
“This was one of the smartest acquisitions in history,” Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for the analytics and media measurement company Comscore, told CNBC.
Of course, those films cost big bucks to make, but they mostly earned their keep and then some. Deadline ranked The Last Jedi as the most profitable film of 2017, calculating a net profit of $417.5 million. Solo: A Star Wars Story, was the most disappointing of the four, with The Hollywood Reporter estimating it will lose $50 million-plus.
Disney also makes money on Star Wars home video sales, clothing, toys, novels and other items. And two Star Wars Land attractions located in California and Florida Disney theme parks will keep the galactic credits flowing when they open in 2019.