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Star Wars: The Force Awakens Premieres To An Ecstatic Audience
Move over Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani, the biggest film event of the year Star Wars: The Force Awakens had its illustrious premiere last night in Hollywood.
Fans outside the premiere.
Photo Credit: EW
Photo Credit: EW
Fans camped out for days at the three historic cinemas the Chinese, Dolby and El Capitan theatres. Disney mounted a premiere that involved more preparations than even the Oscars with a huge tent blocking off four blocks of Hollywood Boulevard. Security was extra tight with police dogs and metal detectors, along with 50 police officers on hand to check bags.
The three original stars, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford, attended to a standing ovation from the crowd. But in keeping it off-kilter, Fisher swore a lot of times during the film’s live feed of the premiere with her comments about her younger self.
Carrie Fisher trying to keep the cursing down.
Photo Credit: EW
Photo Credit: EW
“She was very busy partying, partying to make sure I would look like shit later. And I don’t mean shit. By shit, I mean not as good as in the other sense.”
Fisher has been a great and unpredictable presence on the campaign trail for the film, whispering the ending to Jimmy Kimmel and taking interviews with Gary, her adorable French bulldog.
The new generation of the franchise, Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) also received enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.
John Boyega, one of the leads of the film.
Photo Credit: EW
Photo Credit: EW
Gwendoline Christie, who’s playing the first female stormtrooper in the film, noted the commitment to diversity. “I think it’s incredible. I just feel very grateful to be a part of this amazing film, let alone be one of the female characters. I just feel like LucasFilm and Disney really listened to what people want and in being more diverse with the casting choices.
There was a standing ovation after the film for director George Lucas who helmed the original films, and it seems like a gratifying end to a press tour where he’s compared selling the rights to the Star Wars brand to Disney in October 2012 to a divorce.
The two iconic directors of the franchise.
Photo Credit: EW
Photo Credit: EW
A little known fact is that Lucas was quite inspired by the Upanishads, the Hindu text and Indian esotericism that was abundant in the Seventies. He explained to The Guardian that, “it started out wanting to do a film for young people that had psychological undercurrents for people who were going through adolescence – everything from mythological themes to spiritual themes. In the end, I think that is the thing that resonated with people.”
The film is expected to be one of the highest grossing films of the year, and possibly beat Avatar’s $2.7 billion at the global box office. Aside from its mammoth box office potential, the few critics that attended the premiere already tweeted their praises, and celebs like Joseph Gordon Levitt paid the ultimate tribute: going green.
The cutest Yoda ever.
Photo Credit: EW
Photo Credit: EW
Main Image Photo Credit: EW
Rumnique Nannar
Author
Rumnique Nannar is a new journalist with a passion for all things pop culture, film, and art. Rumnique was born in London, with a predilection for devouring English chocolate with her Vogue, ANOKHI, and Glamour magazines in tow. She is currently in her Journalism Masters at UBC. Connect ...
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