Disney’s momentum and the stakes for 2026
Disney closed 2025 on a remarkable theatrical high: the studio scored three global billion-dollar hits — the live-action Lilo & Stitch, Zootopia 2, and Avatar: Fire and Ash — alongside multiple MCU entries and a slate of mid-size triumphs. That box-office strength also amplified a crucial revenue stream beyond ticket sales: consumer products. Lilo & Stitch alone drove more than $4 billion in merchandise sales, underscoring how deeply Disney’s franchises translate into toys, apparel and lifestyle items.
Now Disney is gearing up for a still bigger commercial moment in 2026. A concentrated summer of tentpole releases — The Mandalorian and Grogu (May 22), Toy Story 5 (June 19) and the live-action Moana remake (July 10) — followed by a potentially massive MCU holiday entry, Avengers: Doomsday, positions the company to convert theatrical buzz into sustained retail momentum.
What “Blockbuster Season” is aiming to do
Disney Consumer Products is running a coordinated “Blockbuster Season” merchandising push timed to these releases. The core objective: extend storytelling from screen to everyday life so fans of all ages stay engaged long after opening weekend. That means toys and collectibles, fashion and footwear, home décor, and adult-leaning collectibles across hundreds of licensees and retail partners worldwide.
Disney frames the effort as both cultural and commercial. By aligning product launches with big-screen narratives, the company expects to drive licensee buy-in and create concentrated retail moments that echo the films’ publicity cycles.
Key partners and product types to expect
Disney’s preview of the campaign highlights several major partners that will bring franchise IP into homes and stores:
- Lego: New construction sets tied to Star Wars (The Mandalorian), Disney Princess/Moana and Pixar (Toy Story) are planned to hit shelves in time with the theatrical windows.
- Crocs: Seasonal footwear collections inspired by the summer slate will combine character motifs with Crocs’ signature silhouettes.
- Walmart: A major retail partner that will stock and promote the season’s headline items across its store and online footprint.
- Other familiar licensors likely to appear include Loungefly, Pop Mart and Funko, each known for bags, designer collectibles and stylized figures.
- Hasbro: Continuing its Black Series and action-figure lines for Star Wars.
- Topps: A recent collaboration produced trading-card releases spanning characters from Captain Jack Sparrow to Tigger, signaling the company’s broader merchandising ambitions.
More collaborations and category expansions will be announced through the year, with the New York Toy Fair serving as an early showcase for many of the tie-ins.
Global scale and category reach
Disney Consumer Products says the Blockbuster Season will be active in more than 180 countries and across 100+ consumer categories, from play and collectibles to fashion and home. That breadth matters because franchises like Star Wars, Toy Story and Moana are global in appeal — Moana 2 previously exceeded $1 billion internationally — and successful product programs must be regionally tailored while maintaining global consistency.
Merchandise is not just ancillary revenue. It reinforces fandom, creates recurring discovery moments for new audiences (kids who discover toys often become future viewers), and keeps characters top-of-mind between theatrical releases and streaming windows.
Executive perspective
Paul Gitter, executive vice president of global brand commercialization for Disney Consumer Products, summed up the strategy and stakes:
“The Blockbuster Season campaign is a pivotal moment for our business and our partners. Disney Consumer Products is leveraging the cultural momentum of major theatrical releases to drive meaningful licensee sell in and retail excitement. By extending big screen storytelling into everyday products, we’re elevating these blockbuster films into global cultural and commercial catalysts.”
Timing and what fans can look for
The merchandising calendar will ramp with the first summer release: The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in theaters May 22, and related toys and apparel are planned to follow closely to capitalize on opening-week visibility. Expect a steady cadence of product reveals through June and July around Toy Story 5 and the Moana live-action remake, with additional programs and holiday-focused assortments timed for the MCU’s winter release.
Retail activations, limited drops, exclusive store partnerships and collectible lines will be tools Disney and its licensees use to create urgency and collectability — a strategy that has driven long-term value in past seasons.
What this means for fans and collectors
For collectors and casual consumers alike, 2026’s Blockbuster Season promises a wide array of options:
- High-end collectibles and action figures for adult collectors
- Playsets and construction sets for kids
- Apparel and footwear collaborations for mainstream retail audiences
- Limited-edition drops and designer partnerships for lifestyle buyers
Because Disney’s approach blends mass-market availability with specialty releases (park exclusives, brand collaborations, collector lines), fans should expect both widely available staples and harder-to-find items that will generate secondary-market interest.
Looking ahead
Disney is leveraging a proven playbook: convert box-office momentum into multi-category consumer-product ecosystems that last well beyond a film’s theatrical run. With major franchises converging in a tight window in 2026, the company’s Blockbuster Season aims to be its most visible and commercially consequential merchandising push to date.
Watch for product reveals at the New York Toy Fair and throughout the summer; retailers and licensees will use the theatrical timeline to time drops, exclusive assortments and marketing efforts tied to each film’s premiere. For fans, that means a busy year of new toys, apparel and collectibles tied to some of Disney’s most enduring franchises.