When a big-name movie has the potential to smash box office records, the production often fails to live up to the hype. The next film expected to make a huge smash is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which arrives in mid-December. The Force Awakens, which is the seventh installment of the Star Wars franchise, garnered $6.5 million in advance sales of IMax tickets in its first day, which is $5.5 million more than the previous single-day record. As the website Fandango put it, “The enthusiasm for this year’s most anticipated movie is out of this world.”
Unlike its high-priced, disappointing precessors, The Force Awakens will rise above expectations and possibly to the level of the original trilogy.
Most experts agree that Star Wars: The Force Awakens will top $1 billion in box office sales, with a chance to overtake the leader, Avatar. Yet spectators are predicting that the film will not live up to the massive hype. History suggests that box-office success and the reception of a movie don’t always go hand in hand and sequels rarely live up to the originals. The prequel Star Wars trilogy, which had a largely negative reception, was one example.
While those two concerns are legitimate, The Force Awakens can buck the trends because of three factors- a new connection, glimpses of its excellence, and a returning storyline.
In 2012, Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the company that created Star Wars. The partnership is already a success. The distribution and advertisement of The Force Awakens has skyrocketed thanks Disney, but the effect will also be seen on the big screen. The cast should be an improvement and the dialogue has nowhere to go but up.
The initial developments have also been positive. The official trailer, released in October, thrilled eager fans while still enshrouding the film with mystery. New characters, such as villian Kylo Ren, are joined by fan favorites, including Han Solo and Princess Leia. The trailer also gave a heavy dose of special effects, which are eye-popping and a massive upgrade. From what we’ve seen, The Force Awakens will be a compelling, exciting and complex film.
Lastly, the new Star Wars trilogy will be closer to the original movies than the prequel trilogy, and not only because of the returning characters. The best that The Force Awakens has going for it is its plot. Star Wars is an epic adventure across a galaxy, not a narrative about power and romance, like the prequel trilogy. The new movie comes later chronologically, so it has no bounds. The coming-of-age-type tale is what made viewers fall in love with the saga and it is the basis of the storyline of The Force Awakens.
Little is known about The Force Awakens, but one doesn’t have to use the force to see its greatness. For many fans, it is impossible for a new Star Wars movie to equal the original trilogy. This one could awaken them from their long hibernation.
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