Wal-Mart loading up for 'Star Wars'
Retailer orders over $500 mil in merchandise
The single order dwarfs any of its kind for movie-based merchandise.
Previous theatrical releases on the scale of, say, "Jurassic Park," have done well, generating total retail sales of around $1 billion.
Wal-Mart's move could be taking "Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace" half-way to this retail benchmark all by itself; and this order is designed to see it through just the remainder of this year.
The Bentonville, Ark.-based discount chain, which didn't return calls for comment, previously reported that "Star Wars" goods, ranging from snacks to toiletries, would appear in 16 of its 36 departments.
The order, worth about $250 million at wholesale, is estimated to return a cool $50 million to Lucas Licensing, even before its Lucasfilm counterpart puts the movie up on the screen May 19. But then, the licensing program also will start paying off before the film bows. Director George Lucas is allowing retail outlets to begin stocking "Star Wars" items May 2 for sale the following day.
