‘Star Wars’ to be ‘The Force’ for product sales

Disney’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is a huge hit already — in stores.

The much-anticipated film, which debuts Dec. 18, is on track to sell more tie-in goods than any single previous film.

And it’s not just toy lightsabers and action figures.

The marketing juggernaut has spread to so many retail categories, including food, apparel, toys and accessories, and across all genders and age groups, that analysts expect merchandise sales to reach a whopping $5 billion in the first year of the movie’s release.

That would dwarf “Cars 2”’s $2.8 billion in product sales in 2011, according to published reports.

Disney would likely pull in about $500 million, commanding a 20 percent royalty from its licensing partners, or double the average royalty for an entertainment property, said Glenn Demby, editor of The Licensing Letter.

“Disney is marketing this so differently, rolling out the promotions 90 days ahead of the release compared with the typical 30-day rollout of a movie,” Demby added.

Among the hundreds of retailers glomming onto the movie is CoverGirl, which is marketing 10 limited-edition mascaras and six lipsticks aimed at millennial women, a spokeswoman said, adding that the products, which cost between $6 and $8, could “become a collectible.”

Kay Jewelers is peddling at least six charms of Darth Vader’s head, Storm Troopers and R2D2, ranging in price from $50 to $80.

“It’s very rare to have any theme that fuses so many different consumers that it speaks to someone who wants action figures and someone who wants mascara,” said Nomura retail analyst Simeon Siegel.