Your going to need to teach me how the box office haul is the "smallest percentage" of how a film makes money. Especially now that they just dump it all on
Disney+, which is losing money. Not sure I have ever heard anyone say that.
Merchandising is huge for Star Wars no doubt, as it remember every kid when I was young yearning for a Tie Fighter, or X-wing, or my rich cousin had the Falcon! Don't see the same demand for the Disney ST merchandise, but there are also way more people now than then, so maybe so.