Media company Walt Disney Co reported a 13.8 percent jump in quarterly revenue, driven by the blockbuster release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.
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The Force Awakens continues to shatter countless box office records.
The toy maker struck gold years ago when it secured the exclusive license to sell Star Wars lightsabers and action figures. Disney reports its earnings tomorrow, February 9. The revenue slide in the company’s toys for girls category slowed to 17% from more than 20% in the previous two quarters.
According to Goldner of all of those products Hasbro sells, even homegrown toys such as NERF products and “Transformers”, “Star Wars” is the largest brand in their portfolio.
Toys aimed at boys – particularly of the Star Wars and Jurassic World variety – allowed Rhode Island toy company Hasbro to cap off 2015 with overall net revenues up 4% to US$4.45 billion.
Hasbro’s revenue from its games category, which includes Monopoly, increased 11pc after two straight quarters of decline. Core My Little Pony revenues increased and there was also revenue growth in Play-Doh DohVinci and Disney’s Descendants. Hasbro’s board has also announced quarterly cash dividend of $0.51 per common share, an increase of 11% or $0.05, as compared to past quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share.
Looking aheadHasbro didn’t release forward guidance with its earnings, though management will likely cover that topic in its conference call. And the company forecasts “Star Wars” sales this year to be around that level again.
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Though Hasbro wrested rights for the characters from “Frozen” away from Mattel in September 2014, initial shipments were just beginning in the fourth quarter. Two spin-offs are also slated to hit the silver screen within the next few years: the first, Rogue One, is scheduled to debut in December 2016.
