Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	J. J. Abrams
Written by	Lawrence Kasdan J. J. Abrams Michael Arndt
Produced by	Kathleen Kennedy J. J. Abrams Bryan Burk
Starring	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 Max von Sydow
Cinematography	Dan Mindel
Edited by	Mary Jo Markey Maryann Brandon
Music by	John Williams
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	December 14, 2015 (2015-12-14) (Los Angeles premiere) December 18, 2015 (2015-12-18) (United States)
Running time	135 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$200 million
Box office	$1.161 billion

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a 2015 American epic space opera film directed, co-produced, and co-written by J. J. Abrams. The seventh installment in the main Star Wars film series, it stars 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. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and distributed worldwide by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, The Force Awakens is set approximately 30 years after Return of the Jedi (1983), and follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron's fight with the Resistance, led by veterans of the Rebel Alliance, against Kylo Ren and the First Order, descended from the Galactic Empire.

The Force Awakens is the first film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy announced after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in October 2012. The film is produced by Abrams, his long-time collaborator Bryan Burk, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, co-writer of the original trilogy films The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi, rewrote an initial script by Michael Arndt. John Williams, composer for the previous six films, returned to compose its score. Star Wars creator George Lucas served as creative consultant during the film's early production stages. Filming began in April 2014 in Abu Dhabi and Iceland, with principal photography also taking place in Ireland and Pinewood Studios in England.

The Force Awakens premiered in Los Angeles on December 14, 2015, four days before its release in the United States and more than 10 years after the release of the franchise's last live action installment. Critics compared it favorably to the original trilogy, praising its action sequences, characters, acting, special effects, musical score and emotional drama, though some criticized it as derivative. Disney backed the film with an extensive marketing campaign; it has broken many box office records, including the highest-grossing worldwide opening of all time and the fastest film to reach $1 billion. As of December 28, 2015, it has generated a global box office gross of over $1.161 billion, becoming the highest-grossing Star Wars film, the fourth highest-grossing film of 2015 and the tenth highest-grossing film of all time. Episode VIII is scheduled for release on May 26, 2017, followed by the remaining film in the trilogy, Episode IX, in 2019.

Plot

Approximately 30 years after the second Death Star was destroyed, Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, has disappeared. The First Order has risen from the fallen Galactic Empire and seeks to eliminate Luke and the Republic. The Resistance, backed by the Republic and led by Luke's twin sister, Leia Organa, opposes them while searching for Luke to enlist his aid.

Resistance pilot Poe Dameron meets village elder Lor San Tekka on the planet Jakku to obtain a map to Luke's location. Stormtroopers under the command of Kylo Ren destroy the village and capture Poe. Poe's droid BB-8 escapes with the map, and encounters a scavenger, Rey, at a junkyard settlement. Ren tortures Poe and learns of BB-8. Stormtrooper FN-2187, unable to kill for the First Order, frees Poe and they escape in a stolen TIE fighter; Poe dubs FN-2187 "Finn". They crash on Jakku, and Finn appears to be the only survivor. He encounters Rey and BB-8, but the First Order tracks them and launches an airstrike. The three flee the planet in a stolen, rundown ship, the Millennium Falcon.

The Falcon breaks down, and is soon captured by a much larger ship, piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca, who reclaim their former vessel. Han explains that Luke tried to rebuild the Jedi Order but went into exile after a student turned to the dark side and destroyed all that Luke had built. Gangs seeking to settle debts with Solo board the ship and attack, but the five escape in the Falcon. The criminals inform the First Order of Han's involvement. The Falcon crew arrive at the planet Takodana and meet in a cantina belonging to Maz Kanata, who can help BB-8 reach the Resistance, but Finn wants to flee on his own. Rey is drawn to a vault and finds the lightsaber that belonged to Luke and his father before him. She experiences disturbing visions and flees into the woods. Maz gives Finn the lightsaber for safekeeping.

At the First Order's Starkiller Base, a planet converted to a superweapon capable of destroying star systems, Supreme Leader Snoke orders General Hux to use it for the first time. It destroys the Republic capital and its fleet and Hux declares the end of the Republic. Snoke tells Ren that to overcome the call of the Light Side of the Force, Ren must kill his father, Han Solo. The First Order attacks Takodana. Han, Chewbacca, and Finn, who uses the lightsaber in the fight, are saved by Resistance X-wing fighters led by Poe, but Rey is captured and taken to Starkiller Base. Ren interrogates Rey, but she resists his mind-reading. Discovering she too can use the Force, she escapes her cell with a Jedi mind trick.

Han, Chewbacca, Finn, and BB-8 arrive at the Resistance base on D'Qar, where they meet Leia and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, the latter of whom has been inactive since Luke's disappearance. They also learn that BB-8's map to Luke's location is incomplete. As Starkiller Base prepares to fire on D'Qar, the Resistance devises a plan to lower the planetary shield so their fighters can attack. Leia urges Han to return their son alive. Using the Falcon, Han, Chewbacca, and Finn infiltrate the base. They lower the shield, find Rey, set explosives, and encounter Ren. Han confronts Ren, calling him by his birth name, Ben, and implores him to abandon the dark side. Though conflicted, Ren ultimately rejects and murders Han. An enraged Chewbacca shoots Ren in the thigh and sets off the explosives, allowing the Resistance X-wing fighters to attack the weapon and start a chain reaction that destroys Starkiller Base.

The injured Ren pursues Finn and Rey to the surface. Finn battles Ren with the lightsaber, but is overpowered and badly wounded. Rey takes the lightsaber and fights Ren, overpowering him with the Force before they are separated by a fissure. Snoke orders Hux to evacuate and bring Ren to him, while Rey, Chewbacca, and Finn escape in the Falcon. On D'Qar, the Resistance celebrates while Leia, Chewbacca, and Rey mourn Han's death. R2-D2 awakens and reveals the rest of the map, which Rey follows with R2-D2 and Chewbacca to an island on a distant planet. She finds Luke and offers him his lightsaber.

Cast

Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduces (from top) Adam Driver as the dark warrior Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley as the scavenger Rey, John Boyega as the reformed stormtrooper Finn, and Oscar Isaac as X-wing fighter pilot Poe Dameron.

Main article: List of Star Wars characters

• Harrison Ford as Han Solo:

A rogue and smuggler. Ford said Han "does not aspire to the position of Obi-Wan, nor do I aspire to be some New Age Alec Guinness. His development is consistent with the character, and there are emotional elements which have occasioned his growth ... There's a lot of the rogue still left in Solo. Some things don't change..."

• Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker:

One of the last remaining Jedi who has gone into hiding. Regarding Luke, Han and Leia, Abrams stated: "They'd be as old and as mythic as the tale of King Arthur. They would be characters who [the new characters] may have heard of, but maybe not. They'd be characters who they might believe existed, or just sounded like a fairy tale..."

• Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa:

The former princess of the destroyed planet Alderaan, turned General of the Resistance, and Luke's twin sister. After the events of Return of the Jedi, she is described as "a little more battle weary, a little more broken hearted." Fisher described Leia as "Solitary. Under a lot of pressure. Committed as ever to her cause, but I would imagine feeling somewhat defeated, tired, and pissed." Abrams said: "The stakes are pretty high in the story for her, so there's not much goofing around where Leia's concerned."

• Adam Driver as Kylo Ren:

A dark warrior strong with the Force, originally a member of the Knights of Ren, and commander of the First Order. Driver said the team tried "not to think of him as being bad, or evil, or a villain. Something that was more three-dimensional. He’s more dangerous and unpredictable, and morally justified in doing what he thinks is right."

• Daisy Ridley as Rey:

A scavenger abandoned as a child on the desert planet Jakku, who is searching for her family. Ridley said: "She's completely self-sufficient and does everything for herself, until she meets [Finn] and an adventure begins."

• John Boyega as Finn:

A reformed First Order stormtrooper. Boyega said that he learned he obtained the part "over a nice breakfast in Mayfair" where Abrams told him: "John, you're the new star of Star Wars." Boyega said: "When we find Finn, he's in incredible danger. And the way he reacts to this danger changes his life, and launches him into the Star Wars universe in a very unique way." He said in another interview: "He's been taught about [Luke], he knows about his history. For him it's like joining the army and then learning about one of the great enemies of your country."

• Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron:

A Resistance X-wing fighter pilot. Isaac said: "He's the best freaking pilot in the galaxy... He's been sent on a mission by a certain princess, and he ends up coming up across [Finn], and their fates are forever intertwined."

• Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata:

A wise and perceptive figure operating a somewhat shady cantina on the peaceful forest planet, Takodana. J.J. Abrams said Kanata has "lived over a thousand years. She's had this watering hole … and it's like another bar that you'd find in a corner of the Star Wars universe." According to Abrams, the character was based on his former high school English teacher, Rose Gilbert, who lectured at the Palisades Charter High School from 1961 till 2013. Abrams said the team "really wanted the story to feel authentic, despite being a wild fantasy. I mentioned Rose in an early story meeting as a sort of timeless, wise figure that I'd actually known in my life."

• Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke:

The political leader of the First Order. He is Kylo Ren's master and is very powerful in the dark side. Serkis described Snoke as "quite an enigmatic character, and strangely vulnerable at the same time as being quite powerful... He is large. He appears tall. And also just the facial design—you couldn't have gotten there with prosthetics... Without giving too much away at this point, he has a very distinctive, idiosyncratic bone and facial structure."

• Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux:

The commander of the First Order's Starkiller Base. Gleeson described him as "pretty ruthless. A strong disciplinarian would be a mild way of putting it... He's kind of opposite Kylo Ren. They have their own relationship, which is individual and unusual. One of them is strong in different ways than the other. They're both vying for power."

• Anthony Daniels as C-3PO:

A humanoid protocol droid. Daniels said the actors were allowed to experiment with their performances, and that Abrams "made a field, a playpen where you were allowed to take your time and suggest things."

• Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca:

A loyal Wookiee and Solo's longtime companion. Joonas Suotamo portrays the character in several action scenes, as the then 71-year-old Mayhew suffered from knee problems.

• Max von Sydow as Lor San Tekka:

A retired adventurer on Jakku, aiding the Resistance in locating Skywalker.

Tim Rose and Mike Quinn reprise their respective roles as Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb, both from Return of the Jedi. Quinn previously performed Nunb with Richard Bonehill before his death; Kipsang Rotich returns as the voice of Nien Nunb and Erik Bauersfeld returns to voice Ackbar. Kenny Baker, originally announced as part of the cast, was credited as "consultant" for R2-D2. Ewan McGregor has an uncredited vocal cameo as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Rey's vision sequence, while archival audio of Frank Oz and Alec Guinness as Yoda and Kenobi, respectively, are also used in the same scene; Oz recorded new dialogue for the film, but it was replaced with pre-existing audio from The Empire Strikes Back.

Gwendoline Christie plays Captain Phasma, an officer in the First Order. Dave Chapman and Brian Herring served as puppeteers for BB-8, with Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz credited as "Vocal Consultants". Ken Leung appears as Statura, an admiral in the Resistance. Simon Pegg appears as Unkar Plutt, the Junkyard dealer on Jakku. Greg Grunberg plays Temmin "Snap" Wexley, an X-wing pilot. Kiran Shah plays Teedo, a scavenger on Jakku who rides a semi-mechanical Luggabeast. Jessica Henwick appears as Jess Testor, an X-wing pilot. Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais and Cecep Arif Rahman appear as Tasu Leech, Razoo Qin-Fee, and Crokind Shand, members of the Kanjiklub Gang, a criminal organization. Warwick Davis appears as Wollivan, a tavern-dweller in Maz Kanata's castle. Anna Brewster appears as Bazine Netal, a First Order spy, also at Maz Kanata's castle. Thomas Brodie-Sangster plays Thanisson, a First Order Petty Officer. Billie Lourd, daughter of Carrie Fisher, appears as Connix, a lieutenant in the Resistance. Emun Elliott appears as Brance, a member of the Resistance. Harriet Walter appears as Kalonia, a doctor that tends to Chewbacca. Mark Stanley appears as a Knight of Ren.

Daniel Craig, Michael Giacchino and Nigel Godrich cameo as stormtroopers. Freema Agyeman makes an uncredited appearance as a resident of Hosnian Prime, shortly before the entire Hosnian system's destruction. Abrams' assistant, Morgan Dameron, appears as a Resistance officer, while his father, Gerald W. Abrams, appears as Captain Cypress. Additionally, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Christina Chong, Miltos Yerolemou, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Amybeth Hargreaves, Leanne Best, Judah Friedlander, and Kevin Smith were cast in minor roles. Abrams has a vocal cameo, while Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels cast members Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Lanter, Tom Kane, Catherine Taber, Matthew Wood, Sam Witwer, Meredith Salenger and show runner Dave Filoni are listed among the additional voices used in the film.

Production

Development

See also: Star Wars sequel trilogy

Star Wars creator George Lucas discussed ideas for a sequel trilogy several times after the conclusion of the original trilogy, but denied any intent to make it. In October 2012, he sold his production company Lucasfilm, and with it the Star Wars franchise, to The Walt Disney Company. Speaking alongside the new Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, Lucas said: "I always said I wasn't going to do any more and that's true, because I'm not going to do any more, but that doesn't mean I'm unwilling to turn it over to Kathy to do more."

As creative consultant on the film, Lucas attended early story meetings and advised on the details of the Star Wars universe. Among the materials he turned over to the production team were his rough story treatments for Episodes VII–IX; he later stated that Disney had discarded his story ideas and that he had no further involvement with the film. Lucas' son Jett told The Guardian that his father was "very torn" about having sold the rights to the franchise, despite having hand-picked Abrams to direct, and that his father was "there to guide" but that "he wants to let it go and become its new generation." In November 2015, Lucas said that Disney was "not that keen" to involve him and conceded: "If I get in there, I'm just going to cause trouble because they're not going to do what I want them to do, and I don't have the control to do that any more, and all it would do is just muck everything up."

(L–R) Producer Kathleen Kennedy, writer and director J. J. Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan speaking at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International

Episode VII's first screenplay was written by Michael Arndt. Several directors were considered, including David Fincher, Brad Bird and Guillermo del Toro, before J. J. Abrams was named director in January 2013, with Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg as project consultants. The production announced the exit of Arndt from the project on October 24, 2013, and Kasdan and Abrams took over script duties. Abrams cited time concerns over the change of writers (specifically, Arndt needed 18 more months to finish, which was more time than Disney or Abrams could give him) and expressed relief that the release date was announced for December 2015 instead of a previously discussed summer release. Abrams and Kasdan both planned out the story while walking for miles in places like Santa Monica, New York City, Paris and London. The first draft was completed in six weeks. Abrams said that the key for the film was to return to the roots of the first Star Wars film and be based more on emotion than explanation. In January 2014, Abrams confirmed that the script was complete. A fictional language was developed by YouTube star Sara Maria Forsberg, who created the viral video series "What Languages Sound Like To Foreigners"; Forsberg developed the language by studying Euro-Asian languages including Hindi and Gujarati. In April 2014, Lucasfilm clarified that Episodes VII–IX would not feature storylines from the expanded universe, though other elements could be included as with the TV series Star Wars Rebels.

Early drafts of the script had Luke appear midway through the film, but Arndt found that "it just felt like every time Luke came in and entered the movie, he just took it over. Suddenly you didn't care about your main character anymore." Eventually, Luke became the film's central MacGuffin and did not physically appear until the very end.

Pre-production

In May 2013, it was confirmed that Episode VII would be filmed in the United Kingdom. Representatives from Lucasfilm met with Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to agree to produce Episode VII in the UK. Osborne also committed £25 million ($37 million) of public money towards the film, claiming it was a boost for British culture and the film industry.

Beginning in September 2013, production spaces at the Bad Robot facility were converted for shooting of Episode VII for the benefit of shooting a minor portion of the film in the United States.

The film's costume designer was Michael Kaplan, who had previously worked with Abrams on Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness films. Film editors Mary Jo Markey and Maryann Brandon, also long-term collaborators with Abrams, were also signed. In August 2013, it was announced that cinematographer Daniel Mindel would be shooting the film on 35 mm film (specifically Kodak 5219). In October 2013, other crew members were confirmed, including sound designer Ben Burtt, director of photography Daniel Mindel, production designers Rick Carter and Darren Gilford, costume designer Michael Kaplan, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, re-recording mixer Gary Rydstrom, supervising sound editor Matthew Wood, visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett, and executive producers Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin.

Casting

The cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con International (L–R: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford)

Casting began around August 2013, with Abrams meeting with potential actors for script readings and screen tests. Open auditions were held in the UK, Ireland, and the United States in November 2013 for the roles of Rachel and Thomas. Casting began in earnest in January 2014, because of changes to the script by Kasdan and Abrams. Screen tests with actors continued until at least three weeks before the official announcement on April 29, 2014, with final casting decisions being made only a few weeks prior. Actors testing had strict non-disclosure agreements, preventing them, their agents or publicists from commenting on their potential involvement.

Though Lucas intimated that previous cast members Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill would return for the new film as early as March 2013, their casting was not confirmed until over a year later. Saoirse Ronan, Michael B. Jordan, and Lupita Nyong'o auditioned for new characters; industry publications reported Jesse Plemons was considered, possibly for Luke Skywalker's son; Adam Driver for an unnamed villain; and Maisie Richardson-Sellers for an unknown character. In March 2014, actor Dominic Monaghan said that Abrams was looking for three unknown actors to play the leads in Episode VII and that rumors of bigger-name stars were untrue.

Daisy Ridley was chosen for the film by February 2014, and by the end of that month a deal had been worked out with Driver, who was able to work around his Girls schedule. By March 2014, talks with Andy Serkis and Oscar Isaac began and continued into April 2014. In April, John Boyega began talks after dropping out of a Jesse Owens biopic. Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy, was asked to reprise his role, but declined, stating that it "would have bored" him.

On April 29, 2014, the cast was announced with a photo of the first table read of the script at Pinewood Studios near London, picturing director Abrams with Ford, Daisy Ridley, Fisher, Peter Mayhew, producer Bryan Burk, Lucasfilm president and producer Kathleen Kennedy, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Hamill, Serkis, Oscar Isaac, Boyega, Driver, and writer Lawrence Kasdan. The announcement was originally planned for May 4 (Star Wars Day), but was announced early because of fears of media leaks. In June 2014, Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie were announced in the cast.

To prepare for his role, Hamill grew out his beard and was assigned a personal trainer and a nutritionist at the request of the producers, who wanted him to resemble an older Luke. Fisher was also assigned a personal trainer and a nutritionist to prepare for her role. Abrams initially considered using Daniels only in a voice role for C-3PO, although Daniels opted to reprise the role physically as well; the production team built a new C-3PO suit to accommodate Daniels.

In May, Abrams announced a donation contest for UNICEF from the Star Wars set in Abu Dhabi; the winner was allowed to visit the set, meet members of the cast and appear in the film. In October 2014, Warwick Davis, who played Wald and Weazle in The Phantom Menace and Wicket in Return of the Jedi, announced that he would appear in The Force Awakens, but did not reveal his role. In November 2014, Debbie Reynolds confirmed that Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, is in the film. Isaac's uncle, a Star Wars fan, was cast as an extra at the invitation of Abrams upon visiting the set.

In December 2015, The Mail reported that Ford will be paid $25 million plus a 0.5% share of the revenue. Ridley and Boyega each will receive $460,000 plus a share if the movie grosses over $1 billion. Fisher received $1.5 million and Abrams was paid $5.1 million plus a 2% share of the revenue. For the original 1977 film, Ford was paid $10,000.

Filming

Skellig Michael in Ireland (top) and former RAF Greenham Common in England served as filming locations.

In February 2014, Abrams said filming would begin in May and last about three months. The official announcement came on March 18, when Disney and Lucasfilm announced that principal photography would commence in May and be based at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. In March, it was revealed that pre-production filming would be taking place in Iceland prior to the start of official filming in May, consisting of landscape shots which would be used for scenery in the film. On April 2, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn confirmed that filming had begun, filming in secret in the U.A.E. emirate of Abu Dhabi by a second-unit. Later that month, it was revealed that in addition to 35mm film, segments of the film were being shot in the 65mm IMAX format. On July 8, Bad Robot reported on Twitter that the film would be at least partially shot on IMAX cameras.

On Star Wars Day 2014, the studio posted a selfie taken by Iger with an unidentified actor in a Chewbacca costume. Iger stated the photo was taken when he visited Pinewood Studios two weeks earlier to discuss the shoot, "which was just about to start," with Abrams, Kennedy, and Horn. Principal photography began in Abu Dhabi on May 16, 2014. Abrams and members of the cast went to Abu Dhabi in early May, where large sets were built at the location, including a shuttle-like spacecraft, a large tower and a big market, and explosives were used to create a "blast crater." Cast members were spotted practicing driving vehicles that would be used during filming. Production moved to Pinewood Studios in June.

On June 12, Harrison Ford fractured his leg while filming at Pinewood after a hydraulic door on the Millennium Falcon set fell on him, and was taken to a hospital. According to Abrams, Ford's ankle "went to a 90-degree angle." Production was suspended for two weeks to accommodate Ford's injury. Ford's son Ben stated that Ford's ankle would likely need a plate and screws and that filming could be altered slightly, with the crew needing to shoot Ford from the waist up for a short time until he recovered. Jake Steinfeld, Ford's personal trainer, said in July that Ford was recovering rapidly. Abrams also fractured a vertebra in his own back when he was trying to help lift the door after Ford's accident. However, he kept this to himself and did not tell anyone about it for over a month.

On July 29, 2014, filming took place over three days at Skellig Michael island off the coast of County Kerry in Ireland with a cast including Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley. Production was halted for two weeks in early August 2014 so Abrams could rework shooting in Ford's absence and resumed with a fully healed Ford during mid-August. In September 2014, the former RAF Greenham Common military base in Berkshire, near Pinewood Studios, was used as a filming location and featured set constructions of several spaceships from the Star Wars Universe. Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean was used as a location for forest scenes.

Principal photography ended on November 3, 2014.

Post-production

Bad Robot Productions headquarters, where Abrams supervised post-production of the film

Cinematographer Daniel Mindel stated that The Force Awakens would use real locations and scale models over computer-generated imagery to make it aesthetically similar to the original Star Wars trilogy. Rian Johnson, director of Episode VIII, reiterated that Abrams would use little CGI and more practical, traditional special effects, saying: "I think people are coming back around to [practical effects]. It feels like there is sort of that gravity pulling us back toward it. I think that more and more people are hitting kind of a critical mass in terms of the CG-driven action scene lending itself to a very specific type of action scene, where physics go out the window and it becomes so big so quick." Abrams' intention in prioritizing practical special effects was to recreate the visual realism and authenticity of the original Star Wars. To that end, the droid BB-8 was a physical prop that was developed by Disney Research, created by special effects artist Neal Scanlan and operated live on set with the actors.

In February 2014, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) announced plans to open a facility in London, citing Disney's Star Wars films as a catalyst for the expansion. ILM's Vancouver branch will also work on the special effects for the film.

Abrams supervised post-production and editing of the film at Bad Robot Productions' headquarters in Santa Monica. In August 2015, Abrams gave the estimated running time of the film as 124–125 minutes. Abrams made changes to the film's plot in the editing process to simplify the film, by removing some sequences shown in trailers: "At one point, Maz used to continue along with the characters back to the Resistance base, but we realised that she really had nothing to do there of value, except to be sitting around."

Music

Main article: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (soundtrack)

It's all a continuation of an initial set of ideas. It's a bit like adding paragraphs to a letter that’s been going on for a number of years. Starting with a completely new film, a story that I don't know, characters that I haven't met, my whole approach to writing music is completely different—trying to find an identity, trying to find melodic identifications if that’s needed for the characters, and so on.

—John Williams on returning to the Star Wars universe

In July 2013, John Williams was confirmed to compose the score. The music for the film's first two trailers was reworked from earlier Williams compositions. He began working on the film in December 2014, and by June 2015 had been through most of the film reels, working on a daily basis. In May 2015, Williams stated that he would return to themes from the previous films, such as ones for Luke, Leia and Han, in ways that "will seem very natural and right in the moments for which we've chosen to do these kinds of quotes. There aren't many of them, but there are a few that I think are important and will seem very much a part of the fabric of the piece in a positive and constructive way." He said that working with Abrams was similar to the process he went through with Lucas in the earlier films.

Recording sessions for The Force Awakens began in June 2015 at the Sony Pictures Studios' Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage in Culver City, with William Ross conducting most of the music. The first day of recording was June 1, 2015. Williams attended the sessions and conducted the remainder of the recordings. The recording process was “very luxurious,” Williams said, with 12 sessions scattered over a five-month period between June and November. The score was recorded by a freelance orchestra, with sessions continuing on and off over that five-month period. The 90-piece orchestra recorded 175 minutes of music, although nearly an hour of that was discarded, modified, or rerecorded as Abrams re-edited the film. Williams's theme for Snoke was recorded by a 24-voice men’s chorus. Gustavo Dudamel conducted the opening and end title music for the film at Williams' behest. Recording of the score was completed on November 14, 2015. The film's soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on December 18, 2015. Williams's score is more than two hours long.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Abrams contributed music to the film's cantina scene, similar to the Mos Eisley Cantina. Abrams met Miranda at a performance of his Broadway musical Hamilton, where Miranda jokingly offered to compose the cantina music, should it be needed. Unknown to Miranda, Williams had previously told Abrams that he did not want to compose the music for that scene, wanting to focus on the orchestral score for the film. Abrams then contacted Miranda, and the two began to collaborate on the music for the scene, over a period of two months.

Release

Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered in Los Angeles at the TCL Chinese Theatre, El Capitan Theatre and Dolby Theatre on December 14, 2015. A white tent stretched along Hollywood Boulevard from Orange Drive to Highland Avenue, covering the "massive" premiere event that hosted more than five thousand guests. The film was released in 12 countries including European nations (such as Italy and France, releasing it on a Wednesday), the Philippines and Thailand on December 16; 32 countries including the United Kingdom (releasing on a Thursday), Mexico and additional European, Asian, African, South American and Oceania countries on December 17; and in North America, Japan, Spain, and Venezuela on December 18, in 3D and IMAX 3D. It will be released in India on December 25 and in China on January 9, 2016.

In North America, it had the widest release of December across 4,134 theaters of which 3,300 were 3D locations, a record 392 IMAX screens (13 of which are 70mm), 451 premium large format screens, 146 D-Box locations, as well as releasing in the Dolby Vision format (High dynamic range, Rec. 2020 color) in Dolby Cinema. Worldwide, it will be released across 940 IMAX theaters, a new record. On December 18, 2015, the film began playing on every IMAX screen in North America for four straight weeks up to January 14, 2016. This made it the first film since Warner Bros. Pictures' The Hobbit trilogy to receive such a release.

On November 6, 2014, the film's title was announced as Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Although the title does not include the words "Episode VII", "Episode VII" was included in the opening crawl. In December 2015, Pablo Hidalgo, the creative executive at the Lucasfilm Story Group which handles all the canonical continuity for the Star Wars universe, revealed that the working title for the film was Shadow of the Empire "for the longest time". Advance ticket sales for the film began on October 19, 2015, and were in strong demand, resulting in online movie ticket sites crashing. Vue Cinemas, the United Kingdom's third-largest theater chain, sold 45,000 tickets in 24 hours, 10,000 of which were sold in 90 minutes, a record for the theater. In the United States, the film pre-sold a record breaking $6.5 million worth of IMAX ticket sales on a single day. IMAX has never previously registered more than $1 million in pre-sales on a single day. In total it sold over $50 million in pre-sales breaking the record. This number was raised to $100 million including $50–60 million in advance ticket sales by December 14. However, not all tickets that were pre-sold were for the film's opening weekend, with Fandango President Paul Yanover saying "people have set aside tickets for screenings in January, weeks after the big opening... We have people buying Star Wars [The Force Awakens] into 2016. It's not just an opening-weekend phenomenon." Similarly, the film broke pre-sales records in the UK, Canada, and Germany.

A special screening of the film took place in the White House on December 19, for the president and several gold star families.

In Malaysia, the film was released in a Tamil dub version, making it to be the first English movie in Tamil dub to be released in Malaysia.

Marketing

On November 28, 2014, Lucasfilm released a 90-second teaser trailer to promote The Force Awakens. It was screened in selected cinemas across the United States and Canada and in theaters worldwide in December 2014. It was also released on YouTube and the iTunes store, generating a record 58.2 million views on YouTube in its first week. Critics compared the brief footage favorably to the production values of the original trilogy. The Hollywood Reporter called the trailer "perfectly potent nostalgia," praising its mix of old and new. Empire was impressed by the continuity with the first films – "the feel of classic Star Wars" – but noted the absence of Hamill, Ford, and Fisher and speculated about the significance of the new characters. The Guardian wrote that the use of the Star Wars fanfare by John Williams reinforced brand loyalty among fans.

On December 11, 2014, Abrams and Kennedy released a series of eight mock Topps trading cards revealing the names of several characters. On April 16, 2015, a second teaser trailer, this one lasting two minutes, was shown at the opening panel at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said the reaction to the trailer was "staggering... the entire room of almost eight thousand people just leapt to their feet and roared, I mean I can't think of anything I've ever been to – other than a rock concert – that felt quite like that." The trailer was viewed over 88 million times within the first 24 hours of release, breaking the record. According to the Guinness World Records, the second teaser trailer amassed 30.65 million in 24 hours, setting a new world record for the "most viewed movie trailer on YouTube in 24 hours." The event was broadcast live by Verizon on YouTube, StarWars.com and in movie theaters. The trailer shows many of the new characters and the first footage of Chewbacca and Han Solo. The Huffington Post's Graham Milne wrote that the trailer "was an affirmation of something that we'd long been told was never going to happen. This was a gift. This was faith rewarded. About damn time."

Vanity Fair was the first magazine to release an exclusive cover issue devoted to The Force Awakens. The magazine, released on May 7, 2015, featured exclusive interviews and photos of the cast photographed by Annie Leibovitz. At the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International, in addition to a panel with many of the actors, a behind-the-scenes look at the film demonstrated the film's use of practical sets and effects. It was positively received, with Nigel M. Smith of The Guardian writing: "The featurette’s angle is a strong one and connects with fans of the original trilogy in an incredibly poignant way. It also does a sly job of teasing Fisher’s new look as Leia and Simon Pegg’s mysterious involvement as a rumored alien in the movie, without actually showing the actors in action." Smith compared the marketing strategy for the film to that of a previous Abrams film, Super 8, saying "the promos... are notable for what they tease, not what they give away."

Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm presented a look at The Force Awakens at Disney's D23 Expo in August 2015. Drew Struzan—who designed the poster artwork for the previous Star Wars films—produced a commemorative poster given to the event's attendees. In October 2015, Lucasfilm unveiled the theatrical release poster and a third trailer. The poster omitted Luke Skywalker and revealed a Death Star-like "orb." The trailer debuted during the halftime break of Monday Night Football, before being released online. The reaction to the trailer by fans on social media was "frenzied," with Lizo Mzimba of the BBC writing that "perhaps the most significant thing about the final trailer before the film's release is how little of the story it reveals." Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph felt the trailer was "a perfect blend of old and new, in keeping with the old-fashioned Star Wars aesthetic." The trailer received 128 million views in 24 hours, a new record for the most views of a trailer in 24 hours. 16 million of the views came from its airing on Monday Night Football. At the end of October, Air France announced a "Flight and Cinema" package, providing customers who book select flights to Paris transportation to a theater to see the film, since France is one of the first countries to release the film. On November 6, a Japanese trailer for the film was released. After seeing the new trailer Forbes' Ollie Barder stated the trailer gave him "hope" that the film would not "let us all down like the prequels did... [with] a worthwhile story this time." On November 23, a partnership with Google was announced, in which Google users could choose to affiliate themselves with either the Dark or Light Side, which would change the appearance of their Google websites. Additionally, Disney teamed up with Verizon to create a virtual-reality experience for Google Cardboard.

At the beginning of December 2015, as a lead up to the release of The Force Awakens, Chicago based theater company Under the Gun Theater developed a parody revue which recapped all six episodes of the Star Wars films. On December 17, 2015, select theaters across North America aired a Star Wars marathon, airing the six previous Star Wars episode films in 2D, followed by The Force Awakens in 3D. Attendees received a special lanyard featuring exclusive marathon art.

Merchandise

Disney Publishing Worldwide and Lucasfilm announced a series of 20 books and e-books, titled "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens," with releases starting in late 2015, prior to the film. The series will include books by Del Rey and Disney-Lucasfilm publishers and comic books from Marvel Comics. All titles under the program are canonical to the Star Wars universe. The first novel, Star Wars: Aftermath, was released in September 2015 and is written by Chuck Wendig. The story is set shortly after the film Return of the Jedi and deals with the consequences of the deaths of Palpatine and Darth Vader, as well as the power vacuum formed in the Empire's rule over the galaxy and the actions of the Rebellion during the following months. It is intended to be the first in a trilogy of novels that will bridge the Star Wars timeline between the original trilogy and The Force Awakens. Alan Dean Foster wrote a novelization of The Force Awakens which was released in e-book form on December 18. In an effort to avoid revealing plot details before the film's release, the print release of the novelization was delayed until January 2016.

Disney Consumer Products and Lucasfilm announced that September 4, 2015, would be deemed "Force Friday" and would be the official launch of all the merchandise for The Force Awakens. Beginning at 12:01 am, fans could buy toys, books, clothing and various other products at Disney Stores and other retailers throughout the world. Disney and Maker Studios hosted an 18-hour live-streaming presentation on YouTube, showcasing multiple merchandise products beginning on September 3, 2015. Among these products were a remote-controlled BB-8 developed by Sphero. Sphero had participated in a Disney-run startup accelerator in July 2014, where they were invited into a private meeting with Disney CEO Bob Iger, in which they were shown on-set photos and imagery of BB-8 before its public unveiling. Many retailers were unable to meet demand for Star Wars products.

Home media

The film is scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on April 5, 2016.

Reception

Box office

Main article: List of box office records set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens

As of December 28, 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has grossed over $571.4 million in North America and $589.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $1.161 billion, against a budget of $200 million. The film is currently the fourth highest-grossing film of 2015, the fifth highest-grossing film in North America, and the tenth highest-grossing film of all time. It has become the 24th film in cinematic history to surpass $1 billion worldwide, standing as the fastest film to surpass the mark, doing so in 12 days.

Theatrical run

The Force Awakens was released in the United States and Canada on December 18, 2015. It made a record-breaking $57 million from Thursday night previews, of which IMAX screenings generated a record breaking $5.7 million from 391 screens. On its opening day, the film grossed $119.1 million from 14,300 screens, marking the biggest single and opening day record and the first time a film has earned more than $100 million in a single day. Without Thursday night grosses, the film earned the second largest opening-day gross ($62.1 million). In total, it earned a record $247,966,675 for its debut weekend from nearly 28.8 million ticket sold, including an IMAX opening-weekend record of $30.1 million (12.65%) from 391 IMAX theaters, which nearly amounts to the $252.5 million total earned by Return of the Jedi – the lowest-grossing film in the series – in its original run. Minus the $57 million it earned from previews, the film earned $190.8 million on straight Friday to Sunday, giving it an average of $63.6 million per day. 2D screenings accounted for 53% of the total opening gross while 3D accounted for 47%. RealD 3D comprised $78 million of the opening gross, setting a new record. Other records set by the film include the biggest weekend per-theater average for a wide release ($59,982 per theater), biggest holiday opening, biggest PG-13 rated opening, and biggest December opening. The opening-weekend audience was evenly split among those under and over the age of 25, with 58% of the audience male, 71% adults, 20% families and 9% teenagers.

Internationally, the film was released in over 30,000 screens. It opened on December 16, 2015 in 12 international markets and earned $14.1 million on its opening day, debuting at first place in all of them. It expanded in an additional 42 countries on December 17, generating $58.6 million for a two-day international total of $72.7 million, reaching first place in all 44 markets. It grossed a total of $129.5 million in three days after adding $56.8 on its third day, topped the daily box office in all countries except for South Korea where it was behind the Korean film The Himalayas, and set a new midnight record in the United Kingdom with $3.6 million. It broke opening day records in the UK, Ireland and Malta ($14.3 million), Germany ($7.1 million), Australia ($6.8 million), Sweden ($1.7 million), Norway ($1.1 million) and in 16 other countries. Other markets which generated large opening days were Spain ($3.5 million), Mexico ($3.4 million), Italy ($3.1 million) and Japan ($3 million). After the five days, The Force Awakens had a total international opening gross of $281 million from 30,000 screens in 72 markets, a new record for December opening and the third biggest international opening of all time. International markets generating opening weekend tallies of at least $10 million were the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta ($50.6 million), Germany ($27.5 million), France ($22.5 million), Australia ($19.6 million) and Japan ($13.4 million) and Russia ($12.3 million). The film had the biggest opening of all time in 18 countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Russia and Sweden. IMAX generated $17.9 million from 276 IMAX theaters.

After five days the film had a total worldwide opening record of $529 million from 74 territories, which is the biggest worldwide opening, making it only the second time in cinematic history – after Jurassic World – that a film had opened to more than $500 million globally. This included an IMAX opening record of $48 million.

Revenues in the film's second weekend decreased by only 39.8% in the United States and Canada, earning $149.2 million, to remain in first place at the box office and recording the biggest second weekend of all time. Revenues from IMAX also dipped slightly, generating $19 million in its second weekend, for a record total of over $70 million in 10 days. Internationally, the film had a steeper decline in its second weekend, falling 51% to $136.9 million. As of December 28, the largest markets outside of the United States and Canada are the United Kingdom ($107.4 million), Germany ($60.8 million) and France ($51.4 million).

The Force Awakens crossed the $1 billion mark on the 12th day of its general release (on December 26, 2015), making it the fastest film to reach this mark in only 12 days. It became the twenty-fourth film grossing more than $1 billion worldwide, and the fifth film of 2015 to do so, making the year 2015 the first time ever to have five films gross more than $1 billion.

Commercial analysis

With an estimated budget of $200 million ($423 million including marketing, printing and advertising costs, and making and distribution of home videos, along with an additional $22.3 million spent on TV trailers and a further $51.4 million spent on ancillary products such as video games, action figures and costumes), The Force Awakens is predicted to be a major box office success. Reports in April 2015 from The Hollywood Reporter and Amboee Brand Intelligence predicted the film would earn up to $540 million worldwide for its opening, breaking the record for the biggest worldwide opening, as well as breaking the record for the biggest U.S. opening. They also believed that The Force Awakens would have the widest release ever, across 4,500 theaters in North America. But it ended receiving a total of 4,134 theaters, and nevertheless had the widest December opening. Box office analyst, Phil Contrino likened the film to Avatar (2009), which opened to $77 million in North America and went on to earn $2.8 billion worldwide, saying The Force Awakens would earn $1 billion "without blinking" and could cross $2 billion. In August 2015, Deadline.com predicted an opening weekend of $615 million worldwide could be possible, including a $300 million opening in North America. In November, box office analysts reported opening weekend projections were at $175–250 million. In December, capital analyst Barton Crockett suggested that the film will be the first to gross over $3 billion worldwide at the box office.

Analysts have noted, however, that the box office receipts of the film, when compared to predecessors, must be adjusted for inflation, and that the first Star Wars film made more when this adjustment is made. It has further been observed that each of the first three films in the series was more profitable in calculating revenue against production costs. Paul Dergarabedian, one of Hollywood's best-known box office analysts, said that while Avatar and The Force Awakens were both released on the same date of December 18, higher ticket prices in 2015 and IMAX screenings could push Star Wars "into the box office stratosphere". On December 23, Mark Hughes of Forbes stated that The Force Awakens had matched the most optimistic projections for its opening, and he predicted that The Force Awakens would likely surpass Titanic as the second-highest grossing film of all time. He also stated that The Force Awakens could catch Avatar as the top-grossing film of all time, but only if it managed to avoid major week-to-week declines in ticket sales.

Critical response

Star Wars: The Force Awakens received mostly positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it is "Certified Fresh" with a 94% approval rating, based on 306 reviews, with a rating average of 8.2 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Packed with action and populated by both familiar faces and fresh blood, The Force Awakens successfully recalls the series' former glory while injecting it with renewed energy." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 81 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Women, under 25s and under 18s gave an "A+", while 98% of audiences gave the film an "A" or "B".

Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph gave The Force Awakens five stars out of five and wrote that it "sets out to shake Star Wars from its slumber, and reconnect the series with its much-pined-for past. That it achieves this both immediately and joyously is perhaps the single greatest relief of the movie-going year." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian also gave it five stars out of five, writing that it was "both a narrative progression from the earlier three films and a shrewdly affectionate next-gen reboot ... ridiculous and melodramatic and sentimental of course, but exciting and brimming with energy and its own kind of generosity." Variety's Justin Chang wrote that the film has "sufficient style, momentum, love and care to prove irresistible to any who have ever considered themselves fans." Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four stars out of four, describing it as "a beautiful, thrilling, joyous, surprising and heart-thumping adventure." Tom Long of The Detroit News wrote that though some may find the film too similar to the original Star Wars, it leaves "the ungainly and unneeded clumsiness of the subsequent prequels far behind ... the energy, humor and simplicity of direction [has] been recaptured." The Associated Press called it "basically the same" as the original film, but "isn't that what we all wanted anyway?"

Ann Hornaday, writing for The Washington Post, thought the film had "enough novelty to create yet another cohort of die-hard fans ... The Force Awakens strikes all the right chords, emotional and narrative, to feel both familiar and exhilaratingly new." Christopher Orr, writing in The Atlantic, called the film "a mashup masterpiece" that "may be completely derivative" but is "a delight nonetheless." The Charlotte Observer's Lawrence Toppman said Abrams had "pulled off a delicate balancing act, paying clever homage to the past." Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film his highest rating and called it "the best Star Wars sequel yet and one of the best films of 2015." Frank Pallotta, reviewing the film for CNN Money, found it was the best Star Wars film since the original trilogy and that it "is bound to be a film experience long remembered by fans and non-fans alike."

Some critics found the film too derivative of previous Star Wars films. Andrew O'Hehir wrote for Salon that it was "the work of a talented mimic or ventriloquist who can just about cover for the fact that he has nothing much to say." Stephanie Zacharek of Time wrote that Abrams delivered "everything we expect, as opposed to those nebulous wonders we didn't know we wanted." Reviewing for Forbes, Scott Mendelson noted the film's "top-tier production values and a strong sense of scale and scope," but felt it was so much "an exercise in fan service [that] it is only due to the charisma and talent of our newbies and J. J. Abrams' undeniable skill as a visual storyteller that the Mad Libs narrative doesn't outright destroy the picture." Brian Merchant wrote for Motherboard: "Science fiction is supposed to be all about exploring the unexplored, not rehashing the well-trod ... one of the most unabashedly creative enterprises of the 20th century has been rendered another largely enjoyable, but mostly forgettable Hollywood reboot."

Accolades

Several awards held their nominations before the December release of The Force Awakens, making the film ineligible for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards and some other awards ceremonies. However, the film was added to the 21st Critics' Choice Awards's slate of best picture nominees after a special vote by the board of directors, and the announcement of the 2015 American Film Institute Awards was delayed until after the release of the The Force Awakens.

Year	Award / Film Festival	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref(s)
2015	AFI Awards	Top 10 Films of the Year	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	Won
2015	Critics' Choice Movie Awards	Best Picture		Pending
2015	Florida Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Visual Effects		Nominated
		Best Score	John Williams	Nominated
		Breakout Award	Daisy Ridley	Won

The Force Awakens was listed on many critics' lists of the top ten films in 2015:

• 4th – Troy L. Smith, The Plain Dealer
• 5th – Empire (staff consensus)
• 5th – Collin Souter, RogerEbert.com
• 7th – Matthew Jacobs, The Huffington Post
• 7th – Peter Debruge, Variety
• 8th – Matt Fagerholm, RogerEbert.com
• 9th – Christopher Orr, The Atlantic
• 9th – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
• Top 10 (ordered alphabetically) – American Film Institute
• Top 10 (ordered alphabetically) – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
• Top 10 (ordered alphabetically) – Joe Leydon, Variety
• Top 10 (ordered alphabetically) – Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
• Top 10 (ordered alphabetically) – Katherine Tulich, RogerEbert.com

Sequels

Main article: Star Wars sequel trilogy

Rian Johnson confirmed in August 2014 that he would direct Episode VIII. Like The Force Awakens, filming for Episode VIII will take place at Pinewood Studios near London. Some second-unit filming took place in September 2015 in Ireland, with principal photography to begin in January 2016. It is scheduled for release on May 26, 2017. Hamill, Isaac, Christie, Boyega, and Daniels will reprise their roles as Luke Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Captain Phasma, Finn, and C-3PO, respectively. Kennedy announced on December 17, 2015 at the London premiere for The Force Awakens that the entire cast would return for Episode VIII: "There will be a handful of new cast members in Episode VIII but also all the cast members you see here tonight will be in it as well", therefore also confirming Fisher and Ridley reprising their roles as well. Benicio del Toro was cast in September. Jimmy Vee was cast as R2-D2 in November. In August 2015, Colin Trevorrow was announced as the director of Episode IX.

See also

• List of Star Wars films and television series

References

• Hidalgo, Pablo (2015). Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary. New York, N.Y.: DK Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4654-3816-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Official website
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Starwars.com
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens at IMDb
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens at AllMovie
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Rotten Tomatoes
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Box Office Mojo
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Metacritic
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki