Musical fantasy Frozen has had a magical effect on Hong Kong Disneyland merchandise sales, bringing per capita spending on products to a new high. The power of Elsa, the main character in the 3D animated film released in 2013, has extended well beyond the silver screen. Since the local launch of Frozen merchandise in June, demand has been "incredible" and shows no sign of slowing. Fans snap up 530 costumes each week - 70 per cent of them Elsa's dress. Merchandise sales jumped 15 per cent in the two weeks after the mid-March release of the seven-minute animation Frozen Fever - a sequel to the full-length film. The short movie introduced 25 new items to the Frozen collection, which already had more than 100 products on sale. Frozen items, which make up between 8 and 11 per cent of all Disney merchandise, contributed to growth of 3 per cent in per capita merchandise spending in the 2015 fiscal year from the previous year. "We've never seen demand for our products like we've seen for Frozen, " said Jim Greene, director of merchandise at Hong Kong Disneyland. The attraction might come from the music and the theme. "This music resonated with our guests. You go on a train or a bus in Hong Kong and you will hear a little girl singing Let It Go ," Greene said. "It is a story of sisterly love … it's about empowerment, redemption and doing something good." The diverse elements in the animation cater to people of different ages and genders around the world. The surprise sales success linked to the film has lifted theme music to a more important position within merchandising strategy for the park. "We will look at the actual musical content to see what we will do to better our position," said Greene, who has worked for the company for almost 20 years. The need for a quicker reaction to popular demand is another lesson for Greene. "We need to be quicker in reacting to movies that might resonate ... and have more products available," said Greene. Frozen products did not hit the market until six months after the film was released in the city. A more aggressive product replacement strategy has also been adopted. While the average rate in the last five years was 40 per cent each year, it has been raised to 50 per cent this year, with more products exclusive to Hong Kong. "The guests want newness, they want something fresh. You can't just have the same product out there," Greene said.
