his technique. He was a solid choice, though some
were skeptical.
Next was hiring the right group of actors to play
the right characters. Daisy Ridley would play Rey,
a female lead, which was important in this whole
undertaking. The cast was rounded out by Adam
Driver, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. The original
cast would also return.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” came out
December of 2015, which was a solid move.
Christmas time meant tons of merchandise would
be sold for kids (and big kids). Also, there wasn’t
much in the way of competition, unlike during the
summer which is crowded with blockbusters.
All this was fine and dandy, but was the movie
good? It was universally loved by critics with
over 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The fans
showed up in droves. Although many fanatics
claimed the story resembled the original
“Star Wars,” it shamed essentially every
box office record in sight.
The difference? The movie was a
love letter to original fans while
at the same time creating
likable characters, compelling
questions that left you
wanting more, and great
drama. It recaptured the
essence of Star Wars. It made over $936 million
in the states alone, beating “Avatar” for topgrossing
film of all time domestically (not counting
inflation).
Disney seemed to have made a great move as
it brought Star Wars back in a big way in just one
film.
In addition, the studio also announced that
it would produce side movies that strayed from
the main trilogy. Those were called “A Star Wars
Story.” Some would be prequels that filled in the
gaps between movies, others would be new ideas.
It was risky as Disney wanted a new film released
every year. Would audiences experience Star
Wars fatigue and only pay attention to the main
storyline?
The question was tested in December, 2016
with “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” This movie is
a prequel and centers on a group of rebels trying to
obtain plans to destroy the Death Star, an integral
component in the original movies.
Would casual fans care about such a film?
Would kids go to a darker type of Star Wars film?
And would fans tire of the franchise?
As it turned out, this was perhaps an even
greater achievement. Despite the lack of true
star power or the epic nature of
the trilogies, this standalone
prequel, which had production
issues, was beloved by most
diehard fans.
Audiences came in
droves. It made over $532
million domestically, which
is quite the feat as this film
was met with less anticipation
than “The Force Awakens.” In
QNS.COM
SUMMER 2018 15