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Merch Watch: Sales of 'Black Panther' Licensed Products Soar

Walt Disney’s new blockbuster superhero flick “Black Panther” is poised to produce more than $250 million in licensed merchandise sales in 2018.

That’s according to The Licensing Letter, a trade publication, which said the sales performance is remarkable because the Black Panther character wasn’t especially well known to the general public until recently. “We really don’t see that happening a lot – for a film to blow up that much,” Karina Maslova, Licensing Letter executive editor, told CBS News.

While Black Panther licensed merch sales won't nearly approach the level of multi-billion dollar mega franchises like, say, "Star Wars," the total tally of overall Black Panther merch sales will likely be well in excess of $250 million, as The Licensing Letter estimate doesn’t include products Disney is selling itself or “unofficial” swag.

Black Panther licensed merch includes action figures and role-playing masks from Hasbro, themed Lego sets, collectible figures from Funko, and T-Shirts from Fifth Sun. CBS reported that 8 of Fifth Sun’s best sellers were Black Panther-related items as of early this week.

Funko Black Panther Collectible Figure.

 

One of Fifth Sun’s popular Black Panther T-shirts.

If you haven’t yet seen “Black Panther,” we can tell you from experience that you’re missing out. Check out the official trailer below.