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Franchise Chess, Round One: “Star Trek” vs. “Star Wars”
Do not jump to conclusions. There are surprises here.
Despite popular opinion …
With $65 billion in its till inclusive of merchandising, the polarizing “Star Wars” saga is not the highest-earning franchise in multi-media history.
That honor would go to “Pokémon,” with an unadjusted gross of over $92 billion.
See the below January 2019 infographic. Numbers are updated annually:
It is worth noting that neither 2019’s “The Mandalorian” on Disney Plus nor “The Rise of Skywalker” are figured into the above numbers. “Star Wars” is expected to climb on the list over the next decade, with some expecting its profits to ultimately challenge those of “Hello Kitty” for second place. Despite ongoing criticism of “Star Wars” in some small but vocal circles, the outcries of “Disney ruined my franchise!” do not appear to have had the effect intended. Sure, “Solo” was considered a surprise bellyflop that still earned $392.9 million worldwide in its theatrical release, and “Galaxy’s Edge,” Disney’s theme park attraction, has proven to be less than the financial smash intended. However, Disney Plus…
