‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Blows Up $600.9M; ‘Hateful Eight’ Steps Into Tuesday PreviewsDisney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ demolished another record Tuesday night. According to finals from Disney, its total gross rose to an estimated $600.9M on Tuesday after posting another $29.5M. The franchise fan favorite dropped a mere 6% from Monday. Hot on Avatar‘s tail to become the highest-grossing film of all time domestically, it is now the fastest film to reach $600M and, at this rate, should hit $700M this weekend and log fastest to that threshold as well.
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Deadline‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Passes ‘The Avengers’ at Domestic Box Office“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has passed “Marvel’s The Avengers” as the highest-grossing film in the history of Walt Disney Studios on a domestic basis.
The seventh film in the hugely popular science-fiction franchise has made $629 million domestically, surpassing the $623.4 million total gross of the superhero adventure. On Wednesday, “The Force Awakens” earned $28.1 million stateside and $36.7 million internationally.
Its $1.29 billion worldwide haul has moved past “Frozen” on the list of all-time highest-grossing films. “The Force Awakens” is on track to exceed $2 billion globally and could challenge “Avatar” as the biggest box office earner in history.
The “Star Wars” sequel wasn’t the only film getting a jump on New Year’s. The Weinstein Company moved up the wide release debut of “The Hateful Eight” by two days, and will push it from 100 theaters to 2,474 by Friday. The revisionist western earned $3.5 million on Wednesday for a fourth place finish, and should reel in roughly $20 million over its first five days in theaters. It has generated $10.2 million since opening in limited release over Christmas.
“Daddy’s Home” snagged second place on Wednesday, picking up $6.7 million to push the Mark Wahlberg-Will Ferrell comedy to $58.8 million domestically. “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip” came in third with $4.2 million, while “Sisters” rounded out the top five with $3.2 million. The “Chipmunks” sequel has grossed $52.4 million, while “Sisters” has generated $46.8 million.
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VarietyStar Wars: The Force Awakens is now the highest-grossing film in Disney historySorry, Frozen — Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ success is a snowball that won’t stop growing. The film just passed Elsa and Anna’s spot in the all-time global box office rankings, becoming the #8 movie of all-time, according to Disney estimates on Thursday.
The Force Awakens has also now become the highest-grossing domestic Disney film of all time, making as much money in only 13 days as Marvel’s The Avengers made in all of 2012 ($623.4 million). The Force was strong on Christmas weekend, making $28.1 million domestically and $36.7 million internationally, for a global total of $64.8 million. Domestically, The Force Awakens is the #2 movie of 2015, and the #4 movie of all-time.
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Entertainment WeeklyBox Office: 'Star Wars' Rings in Record New Year's Day, Nears $700M in U.S.Worldwide, the blockbuster hits $1.39 billion; Quentin Tarantino's 'The Hateful Eight' rides to No. 3 in its nationwide expansion, while Alejandro G. Inarritu's 'The Revenant' continues to thrive at the specialty box office.
Breaking yet another record, Star Wars: The Force Awakens scored the top New Year's Day gross of all time in North America with $34.5 million from 4,134 theaters as it approached the $700 million mark after overtaking both Jurassic World and Titanic, not accounting for inflation.
Avatar was the previous New Year's champ with $25.3 million in 2009 (that was the last time the holiday also fell on a Friday). Force Awakens, which finished Friday with a cume of $686.4 million, is only days away from passing up Avatar ($760.8 million) altogether and becoming the top-grossing film ever domestically, again not accounting for inflation. It should achieve the milestone sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday.
For New Year's weekend, Star Wars is expected to earn a massive $90 million-plus, the best showing in history for the holiday weekend and pushing the movie's North American cume to $742 million through Sunday. On Saturday, the Disney and Lucasfilm blockbuster leapt past Jurassic World ($652.3 million) and Titanic ($658.7 million) to become the No. 2 title of all time domestically.
Worldwide, Force Awakens finished Friday with a mammoth total of $1.39 billion — including $704.2 million internationally — as it overtook the final Harry Potter film ($1.34 billion) to become the No. 7 top-grossing title of all time. On Saturday, it will eclipse Avengers: Age of Ultron ($1.41 billion) to claim the No. 6 spot.
The U.K. leads overseas with $133.5 million, one of the best showings of all time, followed by Germany ($73.9 million), France ($61.4 million), Australia ($47.1 million), Japan ($46.1 million), Spain ($24.7 million), Italy ($23.3 million) and Mexico (23.1 million). It's not seeing the same big numbers in some parts of Asia, such as South Korea ($21.8 million). However, Force Awakens is counting on being a huge player in China, where it will roll out on Jan. 9.
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The Hollywood ReporterBox Office: ‘Force Awakens’ Rockets Toward ‘Avatar’s’ All-Time Domestic Record“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has begun 2016 the same way it closed out 2015: it’s making a killing at the box office. The seventh chapter in the space opera nabbed $34 million on Friday, putting its domestic cume on track for close to $750 million by the end of the holiday weekend.
Unspooling in 4,134 locations, “Force Awakens” should pull in north of $95 million during its third weekend of release. Unsurprisingly, it’s far and away the most popular title at multiplexes this holiday, distantly trailed by Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s comedy “Daddy’s Home” and Quentin Tarantino’s latest Western “The Hateful Eight.” Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver star in the J.J. Abrams-directed Disney-Lucasfilm adventure.
“Force Awakens” has already overtaken domestic box office leaders “Titanic” (previously No. 2 with $658.7 million) and “Jurassic World” (formerly No. 3 with $652 million). It’s expected to exceed “Avatar’s” record of $760.5 million early next week, with some expecting the win as early as Monday.
“Star Wars” fans might have found themselves conflicted by the recent media storm over series creator George Lucas telling Charlie Rose that he sold the series to “white slavers.” He quickly backpedaled, insisting that “Disney is doing an incredible job of taking care of and expanding the franchise,” he said. “I rarely go out with statements to clarify my feelings but I feel it is important to make it clear that I am thrilled that Disney has the franchise and is moving it in such exciting directions in film, television and the parks.”
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Variety‘Star Wars’ Soars Past ‘Harry Potter’ With $1.4 Billion at Global Box OfficeShowing no signs of a slowdown, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has eclipsed the final Harry Potter movie for the seventh spot in worldwide box office with $1.39 billion.
The seventh Star Wars movie took in $59.5 million on Friday — its 17th day of release — with $34.5 million in the U.S. and another $25 million internationally.
Disney’s space saga will pass another of its tentpoles by the end of Saturday when “The Force Awakens” tops Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” at $1.405 billion. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2” grossed $1.34 billion in 2011.
Domestic grosses have hit $686.4 million in 15 days with another $60 million projected for the rest of this weekend. That leaves “The Force Awakens” on track to top the all-time mark set six years ago by “Avatar” at $760 million early next week.
International grosses have gone past $700 million. At its current pace, the movie — starring Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega — will soon be moving past the fourth- and fifth-highest entries on the worldwide list, occupied by Disney-Marvel’s “The Avengers” with $1.52 billion and Universal’s “Furious 7” at $1.515 billion.
“The Force Awakens” will then take another week to get to the third spot on the list, currently occupied by Universal’s “Jurassic World” at $1.67 billion. At that point, the movie is certain to receive a significant boost after it opens in China on Jan. 9.
Currently, the top foreign markets for “The Force Awakens” are the U.K. with $133.5 million, Germany with $73.9 million, France with $61.4 million and Australia at $47.1 million.
The booming Chinese market has the capability of becoming the No. 1 international territory. Box office analysts have already said that “The Force Awakens” may be able to reach the top two films on the worldwide chart: “Avatar” at $2.78 billion and “Titanic” at $2.19 billion.
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Variety'Star Wars' Crosses $700 Million Domestically as 2016 is Off to a Strong StartThis first weekend of 2016 is the second largest January weekend of all-time. The top twelve grossed an estimated $204.6 million, $4.5 million shy of the current record, set in 2009 when Avatar was king of the world. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, however, has its eye on Avatar's crown as it now sits in second place, just $20 million behind Avatar's all-time domestic record, and over $1.5 billion worldwide. Also making headlines this weekend Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight expanded nationwide, Daddy's Home and Sisters prove people want comedy and Charlie Kaufman's stop-motion animated feature hit limited theaters.
Beginning with Star Wars, Disney is estimating an $88.3 million weekend, which brings the film up to $740.2 million after only 17 days in theaters. It's the fastest film to cross $700 million domestically, doing in 16 days what took Avatar 72. The film has broken 40 box office records (and those are just the records BoxOfficeMojo officially tracks at this time) and is currently the sixth highest grossing release worldwide with an estimated $1.51 billion. It will be in fourth place by the close of business tomorrow night.
As for the weekend itself, don't be surprised to see Star Wars jump up a few million. Rival studios project the weekend to be around $91 million, which would give it the largest January weekend of all-time. Disney is most likely being conservative with their numbers, estimating a rather steep 43.6% Sunday drop.
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Box Office MojoStar Wars: The Force Awakens Is Already The Second Highest Grossing Movie In IMAX HistoryStar Wars: The Force Awakens is a few days away from becoming the top-grossing domestic film of all time -- and it may not even take the global box office record, which is still a ways away.
But it's already #2 with a bullet on IMAX.
Star Wars has made a massive $152 million from IMAX showings globally, making it the second highest-grossing release in the company’s history, Variety reports. It's likely the film will overtake Avatar's $243.3 million global take after it opens next weekend in China, where it will screen on 268 IMAX screens.
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ComicBook.comGlobal Box Office Hits New High Thanks to ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Star Wars’ and ChinaThe global box office topped $38 billion for the first time in history, Rentrak reported on Sunday.
Ticket sales reached landmark levels on the strength of a blockbuster-heavy slate of films that included four of the seven highest-grossing films of all time in “Jurassic World,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Furious 7.”
Those four films, and “Minions,” all topped $1 billion in ticket sales, the first time that has happened in a single year.
These pictures helped the North American box office rebound from a down year in 2014, with ticket sales climbing 6.3% domestically to more than $11 billion. It also got an assist from China, where receipts topped out at $6.8 billion, a nearly 50% improvement from the previous year. Those gains came despite the fact that the Chinese economy slowed to its lowest growth rate — an official 7% — in over a decade.
Nor was China the only problem spot in the globe. Russia’s currency continued to teeter, the Euro lost value relative to the dollar, and the debt crisis in Greece sent shockwaves throughout Europe. Moviegoing remained popular despite the tumult, although the weaker European currency did negatively affect the foreign grosses of U.S. blockbusters.
Final ticket sales are still being tallied, so it’s possible that receipts could end up even closer to $40 billion for the calendar year. As it is, the worldwide haul will be at least a 3.5% hike from last year’s record-setting $36.7 billion haul and a 5.8% rise from 2014’s $35.9 billion in revenue.
Looking ahead, the box office faces some headwinds. There are concerns that 2016 won’t be able to surpass last year’s results, because films such as “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Captain America: Civil War” won’t be able to match the “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park” sequels.
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VarietyRogue One: A Star Wars Story Named Most Anticipated Movie Of 2016 In Fandango PollThe number one most anticipated movie of 2016 isn't X-Men: Apocalypse. It's not Captain America: Civil War or Batman v. Superman. Nor is it Doctor Strange, Deadpool, Gambit, or Suicide Squad. In fact, none of the super hero flicks claimed the number two spot, either.
A recent poll from Fandango has the most anticipated movie of 2016 being Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The Star Wars spinoff will stand on its own in the galaxy far, far away, introducing all new characters, one of which is rumored to appear in 2017's Episode VIII. It isn't hard to imagine this being the most anticipating film of next year, with The Force Awakens still dominating at the box office in its third weekend and breaking every record in sight.
The number two film on Fandango's most anticipated list is the long-awaited Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory.
In the third spot is where you'll find the first true comic book movie of the year, Batman V. Superman, followed by the still untitled Jason Bourne sequel.
Captain America: Civil War claims fifth place and the only other comic book movie on the list, X-Men: Apocalypse, sits in eighth place.
Here's the complete list:
1.Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (December 16)
2.Finding Dory (June 17)
3.Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25)
4.Untitled Jason Bourne movie (July 29)
5.Captain America: Civil War (May 6)
6.Star Trek Beyond (July 22)
7.Independence Day: Resurgence (June 24)
8.X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27)
9.Zoolander No. 2 (Feb. 12)
10.The Jungle Book (April 15)
Fandango also polled its users to decide which comic book character debuting in a major role was the most anticipated of the year. Here are the results:
1.Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
2.Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool)
3.Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad)
4.Aquaman (Jason Momoa in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
5.Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange)
6.Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman in Captain America: Civil War)
Most anticipated actress
1.Melissa McCarthy (Ghostbusters)
2.Scarlett Johansson (Captain America: Civil War)
3.Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men: Apocalypse)
4.Emily Blunt (The Girl On the Train)
5.Charlize Theron (The Huntsman: Winter’s War)
Most anticipated actor
1.Matt Damon (Jason Bourne movie)
2.Will Smith (Suicide Squad)
3.Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)
4.Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
5.George Clooney (Hail, Caesar!)
Rising female movie star
1.Sophie Turner (X-Men: Apocalypse)
2.Leslie Jones (Ghostbusters)
3.Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad)
4.Christina Wren (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
5.Nadia Hilker (The Divergent Series: Allegiant)
Rising male movie star
1.Tom Holland (Captain America: Civil War)
2.Riz Ahmed (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)
3.Tye Sheridan (X-Men: Apocalypse)
4.Stephan James (Race)
5.Ed Speleers (Alice Through the Looking Glass)
Which movie from 2016 are you most excited for?
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ComicBook.comGerman Box Office: 'Star Wars' Becomes Seventh Highest-Grossing Film of All Time'The Force Awakens' continues its strong run in Germany, easily winning its third weekend there.
Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens got 2016 off to a sizzling start in Germany, as J.J. Abrams' take on the sci-fi franchise easily won its third weekend in the territory, grossing $10.9 million (€10 million) to bring its total take to around $80 million (€75 million) in the territory.
Less than a month in, Star Wars is already the seventh highest-grossing film of all time in Germany, not taking inflation into account. To compare, the current all-time record holder, Avatar, grossed €114 million in Germany back in 2009.
Star Wars had some stiff competition in the form of the winter holidays, with New Year's Eve and New Year's Day falling on Thursday and Friday, respectively, and German fans choosing to party instead of going to the movies. That made the film's weekend gross all the more impressive.
Star Wars is certain to continue to dominate the German charts in January, where it faces little direct competition. Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer The Revenant and transgender period drama The Danish Girl, which both open in Germany this week, are unlikely to challenge Star Wars' position at the top.
Source: [url]The Hollywood Reporter[/url]
‘Star Wars’ Speeds Past ‘Avengers,’ ‘Furious 7’ at Worldwide Box Office“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is now the fourth highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office, speeding past “Furious 7” and “Marvel’s The Avengers.”
The seventh “Star Wars” movie has hauled $1.54 billion worldwide, topping “Furious 7” at $1.515 billion and “Marvel’s The Avengers” at $1.52 billion.
The space saga took in $8 million domestically and $14.5 million internationally on Monday. It was the lowest U.S. daily gross for Disney’s blockbuster since it opened on Dec. 18.
The domestic total for “The Force Awakens” has hit $750.2 million, trailing “Avatar” by $10.3 million for the tile of biggest film of all time. Should the movie perform similarly in coming days, the record would fall on Wednesday.
“The Force Awakens” has earned $786.1 million at international markets in the 20 days since its Dec. 16 launch. That total should see a major boost on Saturday, when it opens in China.
Box office analysts have forecasted that “The Force Awakens” could overtake the final three films on the list — “Avatar” at $2.89 billion, “Titanic” at $2.19 billion and “Jurassic World” at $1.67 billion.
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Variety'Star Wars: Force Awakens' Becomes Highest Grossing Domestic Release of All-TimeWith an updated gross of $764.4 million thru Wednesday, Jan. 7, Star Wars: the Force Awakens is officially the highest grossing film of all time in the domestic market. By the end of this coming weekend it will become the only film to cross $800 million domestically as the conversation then turns to its continuing international prospects.
With an updated gross of $764.4 million thru Wednesday, Jan. 7, Star Wars: the Force Awakens is officially the highest grossing film of all time in the domestic market. It took a mere 20 days for the film to surpass the previous record of $760.5M held by Avatar, which not only took a total of 318 days to achieve, but was spread across two releases.
When adjusted for inflation Force Awakens still has a long, long way to go to top Gone with the Wind's $1.73 billion, but it has moved to 20th position on the chart, just ahead of Raiders of the Lost Ark bringing to light another milestone.
Harrison Ford now tops the BoxOfficeMojo people index, surpassing longtime chart topper and fellow Star Wars alum, Samuel L. Jackson. The domestic box office take for Ford's films before adjusting for inflation totals a whopping $4.69 billion, topping Jackson by $73 million. Adjusted for inflation, Ford has no competition as his total reaches $9.36 billion, over $2.2 billion more than Tom Hanks in second place.
While Force Awakens' record breaking accomplishment is worthy of note, it's just the beginning. By the end of this coming weekend the record will be an afterthought as The Force Awakens will become the only film to cross $800 million domestically. From there the conversation turns to its continuing international prospects.
Ever since its record-shattering opening weekend the question of whether The Force Awakens would top Avatar domestically was more a matter of "When?" than "If?" A well-timed release, the proliferation of IMAX screens and rising ticket prices certainly helped matters, but now attention turns to the international and global box office numbers. International numbers for Star Wars are relatively even with domestic totals so far, which is saying something when compared to the likes of worldwide chart toppers such as Avatar, Titanic and Jurassic World, all of which saw over 60% of their worldwide total come from overseas markets. A whopping 72.7% of Avatar's number came from oveseas.
In fact, if you look at the top 25 films on the worldwide chart, Force Awakens is one of only six films with less than 60% of their overall worldwide gross coming from international territories. Also interesting is one of the closest films to matching Force Awakens in this regard is Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace with a 46.2/53.8 domestic to international split. The only film in the top 25 to generate more domestically than it did internationally is The Dark Knight.
At this point, it's difficult to determine just how big it will go, most of all because it has yet to release in China where Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and the Force aren't exactly known quantities. The original trilogy was screened in China for the first time just last June while the prequel films generated a combined $18.7 million upon their release in China. Force Awakens will obviously do better than that upon its release this Saturday, Jan. 9, but will it be able to match the $228 million earned by Jurassic World or the $240 million brought in by Avengers: Age of Ultron?
The film's global box office currently stands at $1.57 billion and $2 billion seems likely at this point, but if it wants to threaten Titanic's $2.186 billion for that second spot on the worldwide chart it's going to need some help. As for Avatar's $2.78 billion... it seems well out of reach at this point.
Here's a look at the current top ten, all-time worldwide earners (not adjusted for inflation).
•Avatar - $2.788 billion
•Titanic - $2.186 billion
•Jurassic World - $1.669 billion
•Star Wars: The Force Awakens - $1.576 billion
•Marvel's The Avengers - $1.519 billion
•Furious 7 - $1.515 billion
•Avengers: Age of Ultron - $1.405 billion
•Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - $1.341 billion
•Frozen - $1.276 billion
•Iron Man 3 - $1.215 billion
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Box Office MojoTHANK YOU: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS BECOMES THE #1 FILM OF ALL-TIME IN THE USA SPECIAL MESSAGE TO FANS AS STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS HITS A MAJOR MILESTONE.
[url]Star Wars fans have kept a galaxy far, far away alive for close to 40 years. Without them, there is no Star Wars.
That’s why we are humbled and grateful to announce that, thanks to fans new and old, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now the highest grossing film of all-time at the domestic box office, surpassing Avatar’s $760.50 million record in just 20 days. The movie also holds the records for biggest opening day at the domestic box office ($119.1 million), biggest opening weekend at the domestic box office ($247.96 million), and biggest IMAX opening at the domestic box office ($30.1 million), among many others.
We are proud of these records, but know that they would not be possible without fans’ enthusiasm and continued support. We feel it here and it drives us every day, and it will continue to in the very bright future of Star Wars. There has indeed been an awakening — and it’s all thanks to you.
StarWars.com. All Star Wars, all the time.[/url]
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Star WarsStar Wars: The Force Awakens Becomes First Film In 40 Years Not Directed By Cameron, Spielberg, Or Lucas To Top All-Time Domestic Box OfficeStar Wars: The Force Awakens is the undisputed Box Office Champion of 2015. That's just fact. The Force Awakens has beaten more than a dozen box office records and, as of yesterday, topped Avatar for the highest domestic gross of all time.
That victory doesn't just signify a new footnote financially, it also has a historical meaning as well as far as who sits on top of that throne as Box Office King.
For the last 40 years, the likes of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and James Cameron have switched the title back and forth like a game of billion dollar musical chairs. Spielberg started the trend with Jaws in 1975, then Lucas with Star Wars in 1977, then Cameron with Titanic in 1997, and again with Avatar in 2009. The Force Awakens breaks that streak as director J. J. Abrams sits at the top of the list.
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ComicBook.comDisney Ensures That China Is Awake to ‘Star Wars’ PhenomenonChina remains too unique a market for anyone to be absolutely sure how well “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will do at the theatrical box office. Disney is doing little to manage expectations up or down, and everything to ensure that the score will be huge.
The film opens in the Middle Kingdom on Saturday January 9, making it the last territory in the world to receive the blockbuster. Estimates for total gross currently range from $107 million according to local box office trackers, to as high as $230 million, according to securities firm Nomura Holdings, which sees it equaling “Jurassic World.”
Neither of those numbers will come close to challenging Chinese box office records set last year by “Monster Hunt” and “Fast & Furious 7,” which both ended up north of $380 million. And neither will be enough to see the China score lift “The Force Awakens” above the worldwide total record held by “Avatar.”
But even the lower number would be a record for the “Star Wars” franchise in China. That’s because the first six films have not been released commercially in the world’s second largest theatrical market — until now – though they have played on television and in legal and illegal home entertainment formats.
Other factors complicating the guesswork include:
– Saturday releases have been increasingly rare for Hollywood films;
– Star Wars is a brand that skews towards an older and more pop-culture aware target than the fast-changing Chinese audience (which is getting younger and increasingly based in smaller towns and cities);
– How competing films will play.
One thing working in the film’s favor is that Chinese audiences are generally sophisticated and well-read (online) and are already well-aware of “The Force Awakens” phenomenon in other territories.
Disney has pulled out plenty of stops to use that momentum, and to prepare Chinese audiences for the “Star Wars” release.
Talent (Daisy Ridley and John Boyega,) robots BB8 and R2D2, director JJ Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy, were all on hand at a Dec. 27 premiere in Shanghai.
Where the film lacks heritage in China, Disney has replaced that with a campaign that emphasizes scale, action and consumer culture. Most importantly, it contracted with local pop star and social media icon Lu Han as brand ambassador to introduce the brand to audiences. Lu released a song on Dec. 24, while his “Inner Force” music video debuted on Thursday (Jan. 7.)
Disney also turned up its pre-existing consumer goods machine in China to play up light sabers, and clothing, luggage and dairy products in tie-ups with Uniqlo, Anta and Yili respectively.
Replacing the traditional yellow colors for the franchise logo for a metallic silver, posters were tweaked to emphasize action and battle scenes. A second round of six posters later introduced characters. These included a solo poster for Boyega, who Western media suggested had been victim of a racist snub.
Trailers and TV partnerships have played strongly. The trailer has enjoyed close to 40 million views since Dec. 10, while Luhan’s Weibo (social media) postings have achieved 280 million views. In more recent days it has added a shareable emoticon campaign on Tencent’s QQ platform.
One analyst reckons that after more than 30 days of a blackout period, during which no major U.S. pictures have been released since “Point Break” in the first half of December, Chinese audiences have been starved of Hollywood movies and will flock to “Star Wars.” A similar phenomenon boost helped “Terminator: Genisys” after the summer blackout.
The Saturday opening day numbers then could be huge — $30 million is possible – which could be either misleading or create enough excitement to set off a snowball effect.
Disney has declined to reveal how many screens the film has obtained, though as a revenue share title handled by state-owned China Film Group, it is certain to be substantial. The film will play on more than 260 IMAX screens, or very nearly all available IMAX venues in the country, and sources close to IMAX suggest that the giant screens do particularly well with sci-fi and fantasy movies.
Potentially limiting the film’s ability to rack up records are the market’s structural limits, which include competition from other films as well as a run that has been limited to 30 days maximum. That means it will come off screens on by Feb. 8, the first day of the peak Chinese New Year season.
While some commentators have suggested that Chinese regulators will be over-cautious in their attempts to prevent another “Fast & Furious 7” breakout, that seems an unreasonably pessimistic scenario. Other U.S. titles releasing in January include “The Last Witch Hunter” on Jan. 15, “The Walk” on Jan. 22 and “Alvin And The Chipmunks” on Jan. 22. However, they all seem set for smaller releases, and “Sherlock: The Abominable Bride” released on Jan. 4 and should have done most of its business by the time “Star Wars” kicks in.
“Star Wars”’ biggest competitive threat comes from the release of “Kung Fu Panda 3” on Jan. 29. With two huge previous installments and a made in China tag helping it along the way, the Oriental Dreamworks picture has every expectation to be one of the top five films of the year in China.
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VarietyBox Office: 'The Revenant' Topples 'Star Wars' Friday for Fierce Weekend BattleThe bloody frontier epic — starring Leonardo DiCaprio — is performing far better than expected to find itself in a close race with 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' for the weekend crown.
In a surprise upset, Leonardo DiCaprio took down the new Death Star at the Friday box office in North America.
The Revenant, starring DiCaprio and directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu, beat Star Wars: The Force Awakens with $14.4 million from 3,375 theaters. Force Awakens, now in its fourth weekend, took in $10.7 million from 4,134 locations for a massive domestic total of $781.1 million.
It's the first time since Force Awakens opened on Dec. 18 that it hasn't come in No. 1.
The Revenant and Force Awakens are now in a dead heat for the weekend crown, with both films expected to gross in the $37 million-$38 million range. Some have Revenant narrowly winning; others show Force Awakens pulling ahead.
Either way, the results are a major victory for DiCaprio and Inarritu on the eve of Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony, where The Revenant is up for best picture, best director and best actor in the drama categories.
Heading into the weekend, The Revenant was tracking to gross in the $20 million range. Force Awakens was expected to earn $40 million-$50 million, but like many other Christmas titles, is falling steeply this weekend (60 percent).
Still, Star Wars will claim a major win of its own sometime on Saturday in becoming the first film to ever cross the $800 million mark in North America. The J.J. Abrams-directed film, breaking numerous records all along the way, has already surpassed Avatar to rank as the top-grossing film in history in North America, not accounting for inflation.
Also this weekend, Force Awakens will march past the $1.669 billion grossed worldwide by Jurassic World to become the No. 3 title of all time behind Avatar ($2.78 billion) and Titanic ($2.19 billion), not accounting for inflation. And the film, from Disney and Lucasfilm, hasn't even opened in China, where it opened on Saturday to an estimated $33 million, shattering records.
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The Hollywood ReporterStar Wars: The Force Awakens is the biggest film of all time in the UKWell, this was hardly surprising, was it? After a mere 22 days on release, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now officially the highest-grossing film of all time in the UK, hitting the top spot faster than the Millennium Falcon after a galactic MOT.
Only the second film in UK box-office history to reach £100million, The Force Awakens has now dethroned Skyfall’s £103.2million haul to take the top spot. And it continues to climb, toppling records in its path.
It is already the biggest film of all time in the US, with a three-quarters-of-a-billion domestic haul. But it remains some distance from the worldwide number one, Avatar. James Cameron’s 2009 alien sci-fi romp is the one to beat, with a seemingly insurmoutnable global gross of $2.8billion.
All eyes are now on how The Force Awakens performs in China. It is the world’s second-biggest film market, but audiences there aren’t as familiar with the franchise – the original trilogy first screened in July 2015 – and Disney have accordingly been marketing the hell out of it there. The Force Awakens opens in China on January 9, and analysts will be watching the results like a hawk.
Here in Blighty, though, Disney and LucasFilm have plenty to be happy about: as well as the number one movie of all time, they can also boast the following box office records: the biggest ever UK opening weekend; the biggest ever opening worldwide; widest release of a title in the UK; highest advance bookings of all time; the first film to reach £50m within a week; and the biggest ever single day at the box office with £9.7million.
If that wasn’t enough, J.J. Abrams’ sequel today earned four BAFTA nominations, for Original Music, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects. When it comes to Disney’s buyout of LucasFilm (to paraphrase a certain L. Calrissian), this deal is getting better all the time.
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Empire‘Star Wars’ Tops ‘Minions’ in International Box Office“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has shot past “Minions” for the 10th spot on the international box office chart.
Disney made the announcement Friday, two days after the seventh “Star Wars” film set a new record as the top domestic movie of all time, topping the $760.5 million record set by “Avatar.”
“The Force Awakens” took in $6 million domestically on Thursday, its 21st day of release, for a total of $770.4 million. The international gross grew by $9 million Thursday to push the total to $821.3 million — just ahead of “Minions’” $821.2 million for the 10th spot.
The worldwide total has hit $1.591 billion — short of matching “Jurassic World’s” $1.668 million for third place on the worldwide chart. “Avatar” sits at the top with $2.79 billion, followed by “Titanic” at $2.19 billion.
“The Force Awakens,” starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Harrison Ford, should see a major boost on Saturday when it opens in China, the second-largest moviegoing market in the world. Top international grosses have come from the U.K. at $150.5 million and Germany at $87 million.
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VarietyGina Rodriguez & Bel Powley In The Hunt For Star Wars VIII RoleBack in September, reports came in that Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) were in competition for an unspecified role in Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII. A month later, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Concussion) was added to the shortlist. Four days after that, Collider claimed that Gugu got a part in the film, though, they weren't sure if it was the same role that Rodriguez, Maslany and Cooke were up for.
On Friday's edition of "Meet The Movie Press," The Wrap's Jeff Sneider passed along some new information regarding that coveted Star Wars VIII role. First up, he heard from Variety’s Justin Kroll that Gugu Mbatha-Raw did NOT get the role. Sneider then revealed that Golden Globe-winner Gina Rodriguez is still in the hunt and Bel Powley (Diary Of A Teenage Girl), 23, is being considered as well.
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ComicBook.comBox Office: ‘Star Wars’ Crosses $800 Million Domestically, ‘Revenant’ ImpressesThe Force was strong with Leonardo DiCaprio, but not quite strong enough to dethrone “Star Wars” from its perch atop box office charts.
Throughout the weekend, “The Force Awakens” was locked in a pitched battle with “The Revenant” for first place, but as the dust settled on Sunday, the “Star Wars” sequel had managed to eke ahead of the bloody revenge drama to retain its crown for the fourth straight weekend, picking up $41.6 million in receipts. That brings the space opera’s stateside haul to $812 million, making it the first film to ever cross $800 million domestically.
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Variety‘Star Wars: Force Awakens’ Breaks Records With $53 Million China Debut“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” racked up a record-breaking $53 million after debuting in China on Saturday, according to studio estimates.
The People’s Republic is the last major market to host the latest “Star Wars” adventure. Its opening ranks as the best Saturday or Sunday bow ever in China.
Disney distribution chief Dave Hollis noted that for many Chinese moviegoers, “The Force Awakens” will serve as “the first ‘Star Wars’ film they’ve ever seen.”
Disney has invested heavily in “Star Wars,” plunking down more than $4 billion in 2012 for rights to Lucasfilm, the company behind the franchise. It has plans to not only create a new trilogy of films, but also to launch a series of standalone spinoffs. Given that China is the second-biggest source of ticket sales in the world and is expected to bypass the U.S. as the world’s top film market, success in the country is critical.
“With this kind of start and the response we are receiving from those who’ve seen it, we’re very encouraged by the beginning of what should be a very long run and what it represents for the long-term future of the franchise in one of the most important markets in the world,” said Hollis.
The film played particularly well in Imax, earning $8.1 million. That’s more than 15% of “The Force Awaken’s” gross. It’s a strong result for the wide-screen company given that it typically pulls in between 10% and 11% of the revenue for a blockbuster film.
Internationally, “The Force Awakens” picked up another $104.3 million this weekend, bringing its worldwide haul to a massive $1.73 billion. It is now the third highest-grossing movie in history, shooting past “Jurassic World’s” $1.67 billion global gross.
Anticipation for “The Force Awakens” was always fevered. More than a decade separated director J.J. Abrams’ update on the saga of Jedi knights and shadowy adherents of the Dark Side and the George Lucas prequels that proceeded them. However, China had no strong ties to the “Star Wars” franchise — a gap in their pop culture knowledge that Disney had to fill.
To that end, the studio’s campaign emphasized the film’s outer space setting and action-heavy plot. It also fanned some Middle Kingdom excitement by partnering with local pop star and social media icon Lu Han as a brand ambassador. Lu crafted an “Inner Force” music video earlier this month that served as an introduction to the space opera mythology.
“It shows that no one is better at building a brand than Disney,” said Greg Foster, CEO of Imax Entertainment.
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Variety'The Revenant' Storms the Box Office; 'Star Wars' Opens with $53M in ChinaMoving up the charts for a second, we find The Force Awakens taking first place for the fourth weekend in a row with an estimated $41.6 million. With that it has become the first film to gross over $800 million domestically with a massive $812 million and isn't done yet. Add to that it just brought in an estimated $53 million in its first two days in China. Disney is reporting this as the largest Saturday/Sunday opening of all-time in the country, but it should be noted it's the only film to have ever opened on a Saturday in China. That said, it obviously scored the biggest Saturday opening of all-time.
Globally, Star Wars is now the third highest grossing worldwide release of all-time with over $1.73 billion. Based on international numbers alone, it is now the seventh highest grossing release with $921.4 million, just behind Avengers: Age of Ultron. The most obvious goal now is to become only the third film ever to cross $2 billion worldwide.
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Box Office MojoFIVE MINUTES WITH FILM'S NEW FORCEWe should say "spoiler alert" before this question, but is it a relief to finally be able to talk more openly about Star Wars: The Force Awakens - you've had months of interviews where you've had to be very secretive? Did you even tell your friends and family what happens?
"Yes, at last! Han Solo dies, OK? He dies. Phew. It feels good. But now, we just starting work on Star Wars VIII, the next film, so I'm back to keeping secrets again."
Your co-star Daisy Ridley has already praised how good the script is.
"It's great. Much darker, but we're very excited."
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Vogue‘Star Wars’ Han Solo Spinoff: Actor Shortlist Revealed (EXCLUSIVE)Disney and Lucasfilm are inching closer to finding their young Han Solo for the upcoming untitled “Star Wars” spinoff.
Sources tell Variety that after seeing thousands of actors, execs have cut the list down to about a dozen actors with Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Dave Franco, Jack Reynor, Scott Eastwood, Logan Lerman, “Brooklyn” star Emory Cohen and “Everybody Wants Some” actor Blake Jenner among the names making the cut.
NDAs and test deals are still being worked out, but producer Kathleen Kennedy and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller will begin testing the new group with a decision expected in the next couple of weeks.
The film does not shoot until next January, but sources close to the situation say the reason for such an early decision has more to do with another “Star Wars” film currently shooting, rather than the untitled “Han Solo” pic. While insiders were unable to confirm, the new Solo could have a small cameo in “Rogue One: A Star Wars” before appearing in his own standalone pic.
“Rogue One” still has a month of shooting to go and is supposed to be set between “Episode III” and “Episode IV,” making this new Han Solo age appropriate for an appearance in the film. Disney and Marvel used the same strategy for their new Spider-Man by casting Tom Holland early in order for him to cameo in “Captain America: Civil War” before appearing in his own film.
With the exception of Eastwood, who’s 29, Disney and Lucasfilm seem to be zeroing in on actors between the ages of 20 to 25. The studios tested actors as young as 17 to as old as 34.
The untitled pic is set to bow on May 25, 2018.
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VarietyJapan Box Office: 'Star Wars: Force Awakens' on Course to Cross $100 MillionJ.J. Abrams' blockbuster has earned $1.75 billion globally.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens stayed on top of the Japanese box office for the fourth weekend, bringing in another $5.3 million (¥420 million) on Saturday and Sunday.
The added figures for Monday — the "Coming of Age Day" holiday — brings total revenue in Japan to nearly $70 million (¥8.27 billion) from over 5.3 million tickets sold.
Force Awakens passed the ¥7 billion ($60 million) mark in 20 days in Japanese cinemas, three days faster than fellow Disney hit Frozen, which went on to earn a massive $250 million in Japan. While the Star Wars movie isn't destined to hit those numbers, it is now almost assured of crossing $100 million in Japan, an impressive feat.
The J.J. Abrams blockbuster is benefiting from higher-priced 3D, 4D and Imax tickets, as well as Japanese audiences' willingness to watch different versions of the film, including the dubbed and the English-language version. Tickets for 3D screenings in Tokyo can cost as much as $21 (¥2,500).
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The Hollywood ReporterStar Wars: J.J. Abrams knows Rey's secret parentageWe finally know where Rey is, but that leaves another question for Star Wars fans to wrestle with for the next two years: Just who is Rey?
As we learned in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey (Daisy Ridley) — if that is her real name — was abandoned as a child on the desert planet Jakku, and is quite powerful in the ways of the Force. All that skill raises the question of whether she could be related to another familiar face from the original trilogy.
Some fans suspect that Rey is actually a Skywalker, pointing to the fact that Luke (Mark Hamill) may have recognized her – or at least wasn’t surprised by her presence – in the final moments of Force Awakens. (More fuel for this theory: Rey was drawn to the lightsaber that belonged to Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker before winding up in her possession.) But another theory, posited by EW’s Anthony Breznican last summer and recently catching further fire online, speculates Rey could be a relative of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
So, how much does Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams actually know about Rey’s real identity? “I know quite a bit,” he told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s press tour on Tuesday. But the notoriously spoiler-phobic producer wasn’t about to spill it ahead of Episode VIII, which will be directed by Rian Johnson.
“Obviously it’s not for me to talk about in this moment because this is Rian’s story to continue now. The last thing I’m going to do is reveal something that he would be upset about. I want to make sure that Rian gets the courtesy that he showed me.”
One would think keeping a secret this monumental would be difficult for just about anyone in the world, but “not for me,” Abrams said with a laugh. Let’s not forget, this is the director who refused to reveal the antagonist in Cloverfield or Super 8 or Star Trek Into Darkness or… you get the point.
With that said, Abrams is just as excited about the next installment as the fans are. “My enthusiasm for Episode VIII is enormous,” he said. “I’m very much excited for and very jealous of anyone, especially Rian, who gets to work so closely with this extraordinary cast and crew, truly an amazing group. In that regard for sure, but I’m also relieved to have gotten a chance to do a Star Wars movie.”
And for those still mourning the loss of our favorite scruffy looking nerf herder, Abrams explained his reasoning behind that shocking moment with Han Solo (Harrison Ford). “We knew we needed to do something that was bold and maybe unexpected,” he said.
During TCA, Abrams also discussed his feelings about the lack of Rey merchandise, teased whether The Force Awakens will have deleted scenes or an extended cut, hinted that Harrison Ford should get an Oscar, said we shouldn’t expect a Felicity reboot, debuted the first trailer for his time-travel miniseries 11.22.63 and revealed his CBS drama Person of Interest was likely canceled after this season.
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Entertainment Weekly Star Wars: The Force Awakens DVD will have deleted scenes, but no extended cutWe got the scoop on J.J. Abrams’ plan for The Force Awakens on home video.
The director told EW there will not be an extended edition of his mega-hit Star Wars sequel.
But there will be some additional footage.
“There will be deleted scenes, but not an extended version,” Abrams told us after the panel for his upcoming Hulu series 11.22.63 at the Television Critics Association’s press tour in Beverly Hills on Saturday.
We also asked what the longest cut of the film was before he edited it down to two hours and 16 minutes for theatrical release.
“I don’t know what the longest cut was,” Abrams said. “Probably, if it were with credits, close to two hours and 50 minutes was the first cut.”
So unlike the first six Star Wars films, which were relentlessly and often controversially tinkered with by creator George Lucas, it sounds like Abrams expects to stick with the original theatrical cut. The director previously described a couple of the deleted scenes to EW, including a few that were teased in the film’s trailers.
Abrams has been indirectly quoted as being particularly excited about Rian Johnson’s script for Episode VIII. Speaking on Saturday, the director wouldn’t give specifics, even spoiler-free ones (“I wouldn’t want to do that because it’s not my movie to talk about”), but did express great interest in Johnson’s plans. “I will say that Ryan’s an amazing writer and director,” Abrams said of the Looper filmmaker. “I’m obviously really excited about what he’s going to do.”
Abrams was also asked about The Force Awakens’ record-breaking box office tally, becoming the highest-grossing domestic release of all time, with more than $770 million in ticket sales thus far.
“I’m grateful to anyone who has gone to see the movie,” Abrams said. “When I hear, anecdotally, people have gone seven or eight times. I just want to apologize to, I’m guessing, their parents.”
The director added that he was “very grateful” to fans and pleased the film is finally available for all to see.
“I can’t believe that it’s done,” Abrams said. “It was three years of very tense work by a lot of people. I’m just so happy that all the work that everyone did. Even the people who you don’t see in the movie – the puppeteers who were painted out, I watched them in 125-degree heat in Abu Dhabi bringing BB-8 to life, and then we mercilessly painted them out in the movie. I’m just so glad that people get to see all the work that this amazing cast and crew did. Whatever the numbers are, honestly I’m just so grateful the movie is out there and has been well received.”
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Entertainment Weekly‘Star Wars’ Closing in on ‘Harry Potter’ in International Box Office“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is poised to pass “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2” for the fifth spot on the list of top international box office grossers.
Disney’s space saga took in $11.5 million on Tuesday in foreign markets to lift its international total to $946.9 million — or $13.6 million behind the final Harry Potter movie. It edged past “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on Tuesday for the sixth position and should pass “Jurassic World” for the fourth spot at $1.02 billion by the end of the week.
“Furious 7” is third on the all-time international grosses list at $1.16 billion, topped by “Avatar” at $2.03 billion and “Titanic” at $1.53 billion.
“The Force Awakens” debuted in China on Saturday with a record $53 million and has added $12.4 million since then, making it the fifth-largest international territory in four days. The U.K. is the top foreign market with $162.5 million, followed by Germany with $95.5 million, France with $77.1 million and Japan with $69.4 million.
Disney has marketed “The Force Awakens” aggressively in China. Robots BB-8 and R2-D2, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, director J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy were all on hand at a Dec. 27 premiere in Shanghai.
The blockbuster took in $3.8 million on Monday in the U.S. to lift its 26-day total to $819.7 million. “The Force Awakens” has grossed $1.77 billion worldwide and trails only “Avatar” at $2.78 billion and “Titanic” at $2.19 billion.
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VarietyStar Wars: The Force Awakens Marches Closer to $1 Billion InternationallyStar Wars: The Force Awakens is likely within one weekend of hitting $1 billion - in just the international box office market. The film pulled in a fresh $11.5 million on Tuesday overseas, bringing it to $946.9 million total in international theaters.
That puts Force Awakens at #6 all-time on that chart, beating out Avengers: Age of Ultron for the mark. It also puts it likely two days away from the top five, where it will pass Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with $960.5 million. A solid second weekend in China should push it past $1 billion overseas.
On the domestic market, the film is now at $819.7 million. That is tops domestically all-time, of course, and continuing to grow. Even with inflation adjustments, which is far from a perfect science as it takes no other economic or competitive factors into account, Force is in the top 15, and within spitting distance of Avatar's adjusted total of around $837 million (unadjusted it topped at $760.5, long since passed). If the Force Awakens hits $1 billion in North American markets, it would be the first film to ever do so, and would put it at least at #9 on the inflation-adjusted list (the only film in the top 10 from this century, too).
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as a reminder, has only been in theaters for four weekends, and not even a month yet. Avatar did 34 weekends, Titanic 41 weekends, Jurassic World did 23 (over the summer, a traditionally much more difficult timeframe as far as staying power goes), The Avengers did 22, Age of Ultron 23, and Furious 7 was on the low end of the spectrum at 11 weeks.
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ComicBook.comEXCLUSIVE: 'Star Wars: Episode IX' Director Promises 'Deeply and Profoundly Satisfying' Answer to Rey and Luke TheoriesColin Trevorrow is well aware of your Star Wars conspiracy theories.
"I've seen all of the theories," the Jurassic World director, who will helm Episode IX despite any petitions demanding otherwise, told ET at the BAFTA Awards Season Tea Party on Saturday. "I have to practice how to answer these questions."
While Trevorrow’s installment won’t hit theaters until 2019, following Rain Johnson’s Episode XII and two anthology films, he told us that he is already thinking about how he will wrap up the sequel trilogy. “A lot of scribbling and a lot of notes thinking about the story that I want to tell,” he explained.
Which brings us back to those theories: Now that they have finally seen The Force Awakens, fans are busy speculating about the lineage of one character in particular, Rey (Daisy Ridley). Is she actually Rey Skywalker, daughter of Luke (Mark Hamill)? Or could she be Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter?
"We're going to make sure that that answer is deeply and profoundly satisfying," Trevorrow promised, avoiding addressing any specific theory.
"Rey is a character that is important in this universe, not just in the context of The Force Awakens, but in the entire galaxy," he elaborated. "She deserves it. We'll make sure that that answer is something that feels like it was something that happened a long time ago, far away, and we're just telling you what happened."
That said, the 39-year-old director seemed to confirm that Rey’s father is, in fact, someone we have already met. “What's interesting is I'm not creating a host of new characters,” he revealed. “I have a lot of characters that people really love that we're going to make sure are all honored. No one's going to be left behind.”
Though he says he has yet to speak with original Star Wars stars Hamill and Carrie Fisher, Trevorrow wants their presence to be even greater in his film, revealing he can't wait "to find new places that we can take those characters."
"They are icons, but they're also people that have suffered tremendous loss and challenge over the course of all these films," he told us.
"[Episode IX] is something that needs to honor a story that's been told over a period of 40 years," he reiterated. "I don't want to ignore any of it, and I respect all of it. It's something I think the fan base is going to embrace."
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