Yes, it can be, but from what I've heard of toys, companies like Wal-Mart and the their ilk tend NOT to loss-lead with high-profile licensed toys... TRU I've heard doesn't do the lossleading gig with much of anything, much less Star Wars, so considering theyr'e comparable prices between stores, I'm back to my original thought that the profit margins on SW product are exagerrated and they're pretty ample for the retailer to profit from.
Like I said though, I've heard the TRU sale they ran not long ago that cleared the pegs at every store in my area was still a huge profitable success for that product line for the company, and it brought figures down to $4.50 or so in my area... I believe that to be true personally but that's me... I've had no reason to doubt it.
I've heard that WM's loss-leading plan focuses on toylines they're contracted with manufacturers on, like Motorworks and others, and not products like say Lord of the Rings defunct line, or the current POTC or Star Wars lines generally.