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The latest installment in the popular "Star Wars" franchise brought in more than $1 billion in ticket sales over the Christmas holiday weekend— the fastest to do so in movie history. Filmmaker J.J. Abrams wrote and directed the movie, which brings back beloved characters including Harrison Ford as Hans Solo and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. Abrams was 11-years-old when he saw the original “Stars Wars” in 1977. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” starts where “Return of the Jedi” left off in 1983. So, what is it about “Star Wars” that movie-goers of all ages love? The movie transcends time and place, according to Adam Rogers, editor for Wired Magazine. “It becomes whatever we bring to it. It is western, it’s science fiction, it’s fantasy, it’s philosophy, it’s a family drama. It becomes a thing that all of us can connect to on some level,” Rogers said. Investment bank Goldman Sachs predicts the film will bring in a total of $2 billion in global ticket sales and $6 billion in retail sales, including toys and gadgets. Ann Hornaday, a movie critic for the Washington Post, said early critics were surprised by how well the movie did when it was first released. But Hollywood executives stood by the idea of “Star Wars” becoming a major franchise, according to Hornaday, correctly hoping that it would draw a “ready-made audience” of both old and new generations of fans. “They call it execution dependent," Hornaday said. "It doesn’t matter if the movie is bad or good, they will come because they are curious and they’re loyal.” Disney plans to release at least five more “Star Wars” films over the next few years.Vocab
paracosm
— a detailed imaginary world involving humans and/or animals, or perhaps even fantasy or alien creations
franchise
— a type of license that a party acquires to allow them to have access to a business's processes and trademarks in order to allow the party to sell a product or provide a service under the original name
box office
— used to refer to the commercial success of a movie, play or actor in terms of the audience size or takings they command
merchandising
— the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets
Warm up questions
- What makes a movie successful?
- When did "Star Wars" first appear in theaters?
- Who directed the original "Star Wars" movies?
Critical thinking questions
- Why do movie studios frequently produce series of films following the same storyline and characters?
- Why do you think "Star Wars" has been able to find so much success among fans with each successive release in the series?
- How important of a role does merchandising play in the success of "Star Wars"?
