The Star Wars Money Machine

Darth Cola writes " The Star Wars franchise has made George Lucas plenty rich. But his fortune is only a peice of a much bigger financial pie, one which Forbes.com estimates at just shy of $20 billion. They have a rundown of the Star Wars financial empire, and a market by market breakdown of where the money comes from." From the article: "It all started with a story treatment, handwritten in pencil on a few sheets of lined yellow legal paper. That's all that existed of the multibillion-dollar financial empire, now known as the Star Wars universe, when filmmaker George Lucas sat down in 1974 to write what, within three years, would be the biggest meteor to hit Hollywood since there's been a Hollywood."

George Lucas

[Anonymous Coward]

He sat down to write Star Wars? I thought he just made it up as he went along...

Jar-Jar

[zaguar]

The Star Wars franchise has made George Lucas plenty rich

Is that a direct quote from Jar-Jar?

(obligatory) Later this fall...

[a_greer2005]

Star Wars Episode 0, the Quest for More Money.

From TFA...

[shadowmatter]

Over the course of 28 years, those films and their modern counterparts, The Phantom Menace from 1999 and Attack of the Clones from 2002, have grossed $5.67 billion globally when adjusted for inflation. Assuming an average ticket price of $6.25, that would buy more than 907 million tickets to Revenge of the Sith--enough for every person in the Western Hemisphere, with the entire population of Poland included twice.

Don't forget Poland!

- sm

So wait

[antifoidulus]

does this mean my choice of M&M's does NOT determine my fate? That it was a cheap marketing ploy?
I thought I was a badass Sith because I chose the peanut M&Ms...but it's a lie....DAMN YOU LUCAS! DAMN YOUUUUUUUUU!!!

Re:George Lucas

[uberdave]

... of course, it doesn't say WHERE he sat down to write it.

This is not...

[mbrewthx]

This is not the Story your looking for..
We don't need to see your replies.
George is still a regular Joe just like you..
Move along..

Make it stop!

[Che Guevarra]

Yoda selling Pepsi, Chewbacca on E!, Vader selling pizzas....
Did anyone think Lucas would have learned? Out of control and horrible... I'm hugging my tie-fighter from 1974 in the closet under a pile of socks. All ewoks must die.

A billion dollars and the kids are still in it

[Che Guevarra]

Mad with power, that's what he is. Wrecking the greatest franchise in movie history and he still puts his kids in the movie and lets them pick the names. Gosh damnit, I can't get more mad about it. Lucas, if you can hear this, you suck.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

One thing has changed

[soft_guy]

With the republicans in control, it now legal for George Lucas, or anyone else who is super-rich, to actually kick you. It was necessary as part of the war on human rights^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h terrorism.

Re:(obligatory) Later this fall...

[VikingDBA]

At least we know he won't stoop as low as to make 'The Sith Lords' Christmas Special'... or we hope anyway... run Lucas run.

Re:One thing has changed

[Anonymous Coward]

Keep it up long enough and natural selection will produce poor people that explode when kicked.

Quote from Yoda Pepsi commercial you'll never hear

[dabigpaybackski]

"When Pepsi you drink, look like mine your teeth will!"

Weakness

[Aggrav8d]

DODONNA: The Star Wars Money Machine is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than half the Hollywood fleet. It's defenses are designed around a direct large-scale assault on consumers everywhere. A small indie film should be able to penetrate the outer defense.

GOLD LEADER: Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are indie films going to be against that?

DODONNA: Well, Hollywood doesn't consider a small indie film to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the machine....The approach will not be easy. You are required to write better film and skim by on a budget of almost nothing. The target audience is a small group of people who, if enticed, will being a word of mouth campaign that will snowball until eclipses the Star Wars Money Machine and causes it to implode on itself.

A murmer of disbelief runs through the room.

merchandising

[humankind]

I don't know what the fuss is about. It's not like Star Wars merchandising has gotten out of hand [bsalert.com].