Résumé

The cinema of the first two decades of the 21st century cannot be understood without the visual, technological, economic and cultural impact of blockbusters, linked in their transmedia dimension with a series of franchises: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel. The digital revolution that began in 1999 (The Matrix and Episode I: The Phantom Menace) reached its zenith in 2019 with the premiere of Avengers: EndGame, breaking the box office. Thus, Disney, owner of LucasFilm, Pixar and Marvel Studios, reached the highest annual gross achieved by a film studio. Productions all premiered on the big screens of the world’s cinemas financed with the sale of licenses for the commercialization of merchandising. The year 2020 will go down in history due to the global health crisis produced by Covid-19, the collapse of the health system, the confinement of the population, the closure of productive sectors, public and private services, sports, education and culture. At the same time, online sales businesses such as Amazon or audiovisual content platforms (Netflix, Disney or HBO) were reaching subscriber numbers expected for the not so near future. While all the cinemas in the world closed their theaters, postponing or moving premieres to streaming services and sales of domestic formats fell, merchandising companies increased their annual turnover derived from their licenses. The symbiotic relationship between companies dedicated to audiovisual production and those specialized in the design of licensed products is our object of study from the history of art and design from visual culture studies. The symbiotic relationship between companies dedicated to audiovisual production and those specialized in the design of licensed products is our object of study, analyzed from the history of art and design within visual culture studies