Worldwide retail sales of licensed merchandise rose 4.4% in 2016 to $262.9 billion, a recent study shows. Merchandise tied to blockbuster movies helped drive the increase, according to the report from the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA).

Produced by Brandar Consulting for LIMA, the report revealed that movies such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Trolls and Finding Dory helped fuel sales of licensed merchandise tied to the titles in 2016. Nickelodeon’s Paw Patrol and Pokémon aided in amplifying the increase, too.

According to the data, entertainment/character licensing continued to be the top type of licensing property. The category accounted for $118.3 billion – about 45% of total global sales of licensed products at retail, LIMA said. Meanwhile, corporate and brand trademarks brought in $54.6 billion, fashion trademarks registered $31.1 billion, and sports trademarks generated $25.3 billion.

“The 2017 survey reinforces the positive momentum of licensed products worldwide and across all categories, especially the large and growing entertainment/character sector,” said LIMA President Charles Riotto. “This year’s results also speak to the impressive reach and strength of licensing initiatives in growth markets around the world, contributing to the continued vitality of the industry.”