FORCE FRIDAY HITS TIMESQUARE WITH A BANG.

Merchandising has been taken to a whole new height for the star wars deep space series owned by Disney, in one of the biggest marketing campaigns as huge as black friday, when several products begin to hit stores as a pre-cursor to the release of Star wars 'The force awakens' in December 2015. Dancing stormtroopers, flashing lightsabers and life-sized LEGOs took over Times Square early Friday morning as die-hard Star Wars fans gathered for the kickoff to "Force Friday" in New York City. Hasbro, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Lego are among the companies cashing in on The Force Awakens craze. When the original Star Wars hit theaters in 1977, unprecedented demand for action figures tied to the blockbuster movie caught toy maker Kenner Products off guard, and it was forced to sell IOUs to the brand’s earliest fanatics. This year, however, don’t expect a shortage. The galaxy is fully stocked. Star Wars parent Walt Disney Co., toy makers including Hasbro and Lego, and major retailers are gearing up for what could be the biggest licensing event of the year. What’s at stake for them? At least $1 billion in retail toy sales for 2015, according to experts, with all gear tied to the film expected to ring up $3 billion to $5 billion globally. “This is going to be a $1 billion property” for toys, says Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of toy-focused website TTPM.com. “That’s going to be quadruple what it is in a non-movie year.” The global event marks the first day of sales for the toys that will supplement the latest installment in the franchise, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." The day started with an 18-hour "unboxing" live stream that showed toys from manufacturers like LEGO, Hasbro and Disney being revealed to audiences across 12 countries The Disney Store and Toys R Us in Times Square both opened at midnight, offering special giveaways and limited edition posters. The celebration started Thursday morning at Toys R Us, with book signings, art classes, product demonstrations, and twerking stormtroopers. The latest installment in the "Star Wars" franchise will hit theaters in December.