Capitalizing on the Menace

DURING the first week of July, all roads

led to movie theaters for the screening

of ''Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.''

Apart from grossing millions of dollars for George Lucas' movie

outfit, this hyped-up, critic-proof movie, the first of the three

prequels to the Star Wars saga, has also become one of the

biggest vehicles for all sorts of merchandising gizmos. (Talk

about bandwagon mentality on a sure hit.)

The Force swept through Metro

Manila like a sudden downpour at

night.

The Phantom Menace grossed

$61.8 million in its first weekend

run in May in the United States. It

also broke records in its first week

run in Metro Manila.

With the movie still going strong,

one can be sure that cash

registers will remain busy.

Loud bang

Fans greeted the movie's Philippine debut with a loud bang.

At the Glorietta commercial complex in Makati, midnight

screenings on June 30 and July were packed with hard-core Star

Wars although the movie ended at 2:01 a.m. Some came in their

favorite costumes.

There were simultaneous screenings and it did not matter how

much the tickets cost or what time the screenings were held.

Moviegoers paid as much as P150 to get that ''THX experience.''

THX cinemas (Lucas himself pioneered this technology)

provided crisper audio and sharper visuals. Others settled for

the Dolby Digital, DTS and DDS theaters, which sold tickets at

P100 each.

The response was so enthusiastic that some theaters offered a

24-hour screening schedule on July 2 and 3. Louie's THX

cinema had a 3 a.m. screening. Moviegoers didn't mind the time.

They huddled on the floor in groups patiently waiting their turn

to see the first installment on the life of Darth Vader, one of the

movie world's most enigmatic villain. The trick was to reserve

seats by buying tickets a few hours before, sometimes even a

day before.

Merchandising

Nearly all establishments tried to capitalize on the hype. Tower

Records played music from the Star Wars trilogy. The Timezone

gaming firm offered discounts and arcade games based on the

trilogy. Snack bars that lined theaters, notably Taters, also

offered discounts.

Fastfoods also made a killing.

US food giant Kentucky's Fried Chicken featured life-size

statues of characters from Phantom Menace. Darth Maul, the

movie's leading bad guy, was a hit with adults while kids were

drawn to Yoda, the Jedi master. Consumers were given a chance

to bring these home with their KFC family meal packages.

Pizza Hut also offered action figures with ''The Edge'' special

pizza.

Coffee giant Starbucks sold coffee variants with the Star Wars

theme. Other popular joints that cashed in on the hype were

Wendy's, Auntie Anne's Pretzel and Burger King.

Television commercials abound with the Phantom Menace

theme. Telecom giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.

came up with a line of phone cards based on the Star Wars

series.

Toy stores had a field day. Light sabers and Queen Amidala

dolls sold like hotcakes.

Almost everybody who got into the Phantom Menace

bandwagon is making money. And who wouldn't?