Normally, Disney is careful to make sure that the films from its various divisions don't compete with each other too much. Release dates are chosen so one film will run its course at the box office before the next one comes along. However, later this year Star Wars and Frozen II are going head-to-head in one very important way outside of the theater. This morning, Disney announced that new merchandise for three upcoming Star Wars projects, as well as Frozen II, will all see a global product launch on October 4, 2019. It will be a huge merchandise day for Disney, but it may mean that fans of both franchises will have some decisions to make.
Force Friday has been a regular event for Star Wars fans ever since 2015 when Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released. All new toys and other merchandise being created to tie-in with the film was released on the same day, leading to massive lines in stores as fans tried to be sure they got their hands on their favorite action figures or other gear before it was gone.
Friday October 4, 2019, however, will be Triple Force Friday, as that day won't only see Star Wars: Episode IX merchandise hitting shelves, but also merch related to the upcoming Disney+ series The Mandalorian, and Respawn Entertainment's upcoming video game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
That's a lot of Star Wars stuff and it's sure to make fans excited, but they won't be the only ones waiting in line as Frozen II will see its global product launch on the exact same day as part of what's being called Frozen Fan Fest, so get ready to get knocked down as you reach for the newest Rey figure by somebody who's looking for the new Elsa.
Certainly, in large part, these two fandoms hitting the stores on the same day will just mean more people, as many people might not be superfans of both brands, but certainly there are a lot of people who like both Frozen and Star Wars, and then there's always the collectors, who will want stuff from both titles simply for the sake of having it.
Money is, for most of us, a finite resource, and as such, at least some people will have to make decisions about which stuff they want more.
With the three different lines of Star Wars stuff and the addition of Frozen II, Triple Force Friday, or Triple Force Frozen Friday, is set to potentially be the biggest day that Disney's consumer products division has possibly ever had. Just launching that many new products at once will be feat, as very likely, will be the number of them that sell on that day, nevermind all the days that come after.
Toys often give way to theories about the actual film when we see it before the movie hits screens. In the case of both Episode IX and Frozen II, that will be the case, so get ready for lots of people trying to use these products to figure out what we don't know about the films before their respective releases.
In the case of the other two properties, we don't actually know how Triple Force Friday lines up with release. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has only been confirmed as far as a Fall 2019 release, an October or November release is likely based on video game release trends. Disney+, the streaming service that will be home to The Mandalorian doesn't even have an official launch date itself yet. Disney has only said it will go live in late 2019. It's not even confirmed that The Mandalorian will be available on day one of the service, though this merch release info would imply that's quite possible.
Will you be in line on Triple Force Friday?
