• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
Arts & EntertainmentStar Wars

Star Wars Franchise Worth More Than Harry Potter and James Bond, Combined

By
Jonathan Chew
Jonathan Chew
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Chew
Jonathan Chew
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 24, 2015, 8:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

With Star Wars: The Force Awakens breaking records at the box office since opening Dec. 17, the franchise’s total value only swells by the day.

Reaping in $238 million at U.S. turnstiles and $517 million globally last week, the seventh chapter in the Star Wars canon adds millions of dollars more to the value of the entire series. Taking into account other ancillary revenue streams such as merchandise, licensing, DVD sales and even the brand name itself, here is Fortune’s breakdown of the franchise’s value, using actual and estimated data from a variety of sources:

Box Office
Using data from Box Office Mojo, the total worldwide box office gross for all seven original films, the three “special edition” re-releases, the re-issues of the first two movies in 1982, and the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars in 2008 comes in at $5.149 billion. Keep in mind, this isn’t actually adjusted for ticket price inflation as Box Office Mojo doesn’t track inflation-adjusted worldwide grosses, so the actual, inflation-adjusted total is likely to have been much higher: Fortune has estimated that the seven episodes alone could total $7.3 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars for global sales. We will use this estimate for the box office takings of all the films: $7.3 billion.

Home Entertainment Sales
Star Wars lives far beyond the big screen — from old-school VHS to current digital downloads, the franchise has a force that awakens living rooms too. According to Statistic Brain Research Institute, the revenue generated from DVD sales, rentals, digital sales and VHS sales amount to around $5.291 billion. Add in the estimate by Bloomberg that The Force Awakens should bring in around $458 million in its first year of release post-cinema — which would be on the conservative side — and the total here amounts to: $5.749 billion.

Toys and Merchandise
When Sphero’s adorable replica of the BB-8 droid from the newest Star Wars came out, it instantly became one of the hottest toys on the market, and a display of the franchises’ power on the shelves of retail stores. Using both Statistic Brain and CNBC’s calculations, the total revenue from toy licensing linked to Star Wars since 1977 is estimated at $12 billion. Add in Bloomberg’s future revenue estimate of $5 billion from merchandise linked to The Force Awakens, and the total value comes in at: $17 billion.

Video Games
Based on analysis done by 24/7 Wall Street and off the list by VGChartz of the total number of Star Wars-related units sold — there are around 100 Star Wars titles — the franchise has earned $3 billion in sales so far. Bloomberg estimates two upcoming titles, Disney Infinity 3.0 and Star Wars: Battlefront, will bring in $1.28 billion. Estimated total: $4.28 billion.

Intellectual Property
We can use the 2012 price that Disney (DIS) paid for Lucasfilm, the company founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas and home of the Star Wars franchise: $4 billion.

Miscellaneous
Other sources of revenue for Star Wars include books ($1.82 billion), the Clone Wars animated TV series ($4.5 million), licensing fees ($825 million) and the resale market for all Star Wars collectibles (around $1 billion). Using estimates from Statistic Brain and 24/7 Wall Street, we can add this into an estimated value of: $3.65 billion.

Total: $41.979 billion

This falls in line with other estimates of between $27 billion and $42 billion for the franchise. According to The Telegraph, this would beat the combined value of the Harry Potter and James Bond franchises (around $33 billion), and dwarf other entertainment franchises like Twilight (around $6 billion) and Lord of the Rings (also around $6 billion).

Star Wars would also exceed the GDP of countries like Jordan and Paraguay.

About the Author
By Jonathan Chew
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Dave Portnoy
SuccessCareers
Dave Portnoy quit an $80K sales job to start Barstool—he hand-delivered papers in a secondhand van while living with his girlfriend’s mom for 6 years
By Preston ForeJune 29, 2026
3 hours ago
bm
PoliticsWhite House
As Bill Maher accepts Mark Twain Prize, the funniest thing is the tarp draped across the Kennedy Center
By Steven Sloan and The Associated PressJune 29, 2026
5 hours ago
The CEO behind Grand Theft Auto VI doesn’t play video games, but analysts say he has put $1.5 billion behind the biggest game launch of the decade
Big TechVideo Games
The CEO behind Grand Theft Auto VI doesn’t play video games, but analysts say he has put $1.5 billion behind the biggest game launch of the decade
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 29, 2026
6 hours ago
Big-budget ‘Supergirl’ is among DC Studios’ worst flops for an opening weekend and was reportedly trimmed significantly after test screenings
Arts & EntertainmentMovies
Big-budget ‘Supergirl’ is among DC Studios’ worst flops for an opening weekend and was reportedly trimmed significantly after test screenings
By Jake Coyle and The Associated PressJune 28, 2026
20 hours ago
Photo of Bryan and Shannon Miles
SuccessEntrepreneurs
This entrepreneurial couple cashed out their 401(k)s and sold a $126 million company—now they run a U.K. soccer team
By Emma BurleighJune 28, 2026
1 day ago
Cristiano Ronaldo
SuccessBillionaires
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer’s first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald’s to landing a $400 million contract
By Preston ForeJune 28, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
4 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
2 days ago
Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
Success
Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 28, 2026
1 day ago
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
Success
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
By Preston ForeJune 28, 2026
1 day ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
1 day ago
Iran is forcing the U.S. into an escalation trap as a 'shadow war' over the Strait of Hormuz heats up that could kill the tenuous ceasefire
Politics
Iran is forcing the U.S. into an escalation trap as a 'shadow war' over the Strait of Hormuz heats up that could kill the tenuous ceasefire
By Jason MaJune 28, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.