Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (also known as Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens) is a 2015 American epic space opera produced, written and directed by JJ Abrams. The sequel to Return of the Jedi (1983) is the seventh installment in the Skywalker saga. Set 30 years after Return of the Jedi, the Force Awakens follows Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Han Solo in their search for Luke Skywalker and their fight against Kylo in the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa and a rebel ally veteran Ren and the First Order, the heirs of the Galactic Empire. The ensemble cast includes Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow.
The film was released after the Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm in October 2012. The film is the first Star Wars film to not feature franchise creator George Lucas, who served only as a creative consultant during the early stages of production. The Force Awakens was created by Abrams, longtime collaborator Bryan Burke, and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, co-authors of the original trilogy, Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi, rewrote the original script by Michael Arndt. John Williams, composer of previous cameo films, is back to compose the music. Principal photography began in April 2014 with a budget of $259-306 million and was completed in November of the following year. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios in the UK and primarily on location in Abu Dhabi, Iceland and Ireland.
The Force Awakens premiered in Los Angeles on December 14, 2015, and was released in the United States on December 18, 2015. It received positive reviews from critics for its screenplay, directing, leading role, music, special effects, and emotional weight. Some critics felt the film was too similar to A New Hope (1977). The film grossed $2 billion worldwide, breaking multiple box office records and becoming the highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada, the highest-grossing film of 2015 and the third-highest-grossing film at its time of release. It's an uploaded movie. It was nominated for five categories and made it to the 88th Academy Awards season, winning numerous awards. The Last Jedi (2017) and Skywalker. Rising (2019) completes the Star Wars sequel trilogy following The Force Awakens.
- Gross: $2.068 billion
