When Disney first purchased the Star Wars brand, the company did so in hopes of extending its market reach. Thanks to its iconic Disney princesses and other “girl brands,” the company had a firm grasp on female audiences. Marvel and Star Wars specifically were purchased to help Disney bring in more “boy” audiences.
Internally, this was well-understood. Purportedly, in 2015, an anonymous Disney employee admitted to the company allocating fewer resources toward promoting Marvel and Lucasfilm to female audiences. They weren’t the target. At least not back then.
Largely, in the nearly ten years since then, Disney’s Star Wars projects have largely leaned away from that tact, instead opting to go for more of a unisex and even female-first audience. Four of the five theatrical Disney-Star Wars releases (“The Force Awakens,” “The Last Jedi,” “The Rise of Skywalker” and “Rogue One”) have all featured central female protagonists. Another female-focused movie, the upcoming Rey prequel, will star a female character and be directed by a feminist activist as well.
Based on a recent report from Forbes, perhaps Disney should have stuck to the original plan.
The report, published Sunday, reveals that the Disney-Star Wars box office profits have failed to make