This year, the “Star Wars” toys have a particular tech focus, and Apple Stores are a big partner. They’ll be selling the app-enabled products, including an R2-D2 robot, a drone that looks like a Starfighter from the film, and a Droid inventor kit. They will also host coding sessions for kids, and some stores will have executives from Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic, who worked on the movie, to host special sessions.

“Star Wars” is the biggest toy franchise around, driving $618 million in U.S. toy sales in the last 12 months, and far more overseas.

“When there is a feature film like ‘The Last Jedi’ hitting theaters, it can drive sales of ‘Star Wars’ related merchandise 200 percent to 300 percent over a non-movie year,” said toy industry expert and TTPM.com founder Jim Silver.

Investors are counting on “Star Wars” to be an engine for Disney for years to come. Disney is investing $1 billion to build each of the two “Star Wars” theme parks, which are scheduled to open in California and Florida in 2019.

Source: Tech CNBC
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