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 The two-and-a-half minute trailer, which debuted during
halftime of ESPN's National Football League game, quickly
attracted more than 17,000 tweets per minute, according to
Twitter. It was viewed on YouTube more than 220,000 times within
the first 20 minutes.
Tickets for the film's U.S. release on Dec. 18 went on pre-sale
at the same time as the trailer, with U.S. ticket seller
Fandango crashing temporarily.
The trailer, which featured franchise veterans Harrison Ford and
Carrie Fisher alongside a cast of newcomers, kicked off with
lead character Rey (Daisy Ridley) as a scavenger presumed to be
the daughter of Princess Leia (Fisher) and Han Solo (Ford).
Fisher makes her trailer debut as Leia, along with the
character's trademark hair buns, as she is embraced by Han Solo.
Leia is heard saying "The Force, it's calling to you. Just let
it in." Notably missing was Mark Hamill, who reprised his role
as Luke Skywalker but is yet to be seen in character.
The trailer for the film, directed by J.J. Abrams, provided the
vast scope the new film will be taking and the challenges that
its leading characters will face.
Finn (John Boyega), a Stormtrooper on the run, says "I was
raised to do one thing, but I've got nothing to fight for," and
is later seen battling villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).
Kylo Ren is shown alongside the charred mask of Darth Vader,
saying "Nothing will stand in our way. I will finish what you
started."
Fans have until now only seen two teasers: November's 88-second
trailer and April's 2-minute trailer, in which Han Solo and
Chewbacca made their first appearance.
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Ahead of the trailer release, Abrams tweeted a note, saying "We
cannot wait to share the trailer with you tonight. I don't care if
you're black, white, brown, Jawa, Wookie, Jedi or Sith. I just hope
you like it."
The film is expected to gross about $100 million in North America on
its opening weekend, Rentrak's senior media analyst Paul
Dergarabedian said, adding that it could earn over $2 billion
globally.
"This is maybe the most anticipated movie of the last 10 years,"
Dergarabedian said.
"Star Wars," created by filmmaker George Lucas, has grossed more
than $4.4 billion globally since 1977 with six films. "The Force
Awakens" is the first of three new "Star Wars" movies being produced
by Disney since it purchased the Lucasfilm franchise in 2012 for
$4.05 billion.
Earlier Monday, British "Star Wars" fans snapped up tens of
thousands of tickets for "The Force Awakens," with movie theater
chains reporting record business for advance tickets.
Cinema chain Odeon said Monday was "our busiest day ever for online
bookings," while Vue Entertainment said it had sold 10,000 tickets
within the first 90 minutes. Both said some customers faced delays
purchasing online.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bernard Orr and Michael
Perry)
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