Disney stars in Hasbro's holiday quarter

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BROADCAST AND DIGITAL RESTRICTIONS~**

Broadcasters: FOR "STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN," MUST COURTESY WALT DISNEY PICTURES/NO ARCHIVE/NO RESALES; FOR "STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER," MUST COURTESY WALT DISNEY PICTURES/LUCASFILM WITH NO ARCHIVE/NO RESALES Digital: FOR "STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN," MUST COURTESY WALT DISNEY PICTURES/NO ARCHIVE/NO RESALES; FOR "STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER," MUST COURTESY WALT DISNEY PICTURES/LUCASFILM WITH NO ARCHIVE/NO RESALES

Toy maker Hasbro - capitalizing on Disney's smash-hit movies - made a quarterly profit that crushed expectations, as kids snapped up Frozen dolls and Star Wars figurines over the holiday season.

Revenue from the unit that produces licensed products from those films shot up nearly 50%.

The latest installment in the Star Wars series, "The Rise of Skywalker," has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, boosting demand for Hasbro's toys featuring the droids, stormtroopers and lightsabers from the movie.

Among the company's top sellers: pre-orders for Baby Yoda drove sales for figurines from the new Star Wars-based TV series, the Mandalorian.

Also helping lift Hasbro's bottom line: a big cut in ad spending that lowered costs.

On a conference call with analysts, Hasbro said the impact of the coronavirus outbreak ravaging China is currently small... but warned that its first quarter results could be affected. China is a major manufacturer for toymakers like Hasbro.

Hasbro shares rose in early trading Tuesday. Its results also enticed investors to snap up shares of archrival Mattel, which reports its results after the market close on Thursday.

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Disney's holiday movies worked their magic on Hasbro. The toy maker's quarterly profit surged and revenue rose, as kids snapped up toys based on Disney's hit Frozen and Star Wars franchises. Revenue from the unit that produces licensed products from those films shot up nearly 50%.

The latest installment in the Star Wars series, "The Rise of Skywalker," has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, boosting demand for Hasbro's toys featuring the droids, stormtroopers and lightsabers from the movie.

Among the company's top sellers: pre-orders for Baby Yoda from the new Star Wars-based TV series, the Mandalorian.

Also helping lift Hasbro's bottom line: a big cut in ad spending that lowered costs.

Hasbro shares rose sharply in early trading Tuesday. Its results also enticed investors to snap up shares of archrival Mattel, which reports its results after the market close on Thursday.