By A decade ago today, the teaser trailer for J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” went online and ushered in the Disney era of “Star Wars”. Multiple films and TV shows followed which have proven… divisive, to say the least.
The teaser, clocking in at just 88 seconds of footage, set new viewership records for a trailer debut and spawned a ton of online speculation over the next ten months until the full trailer finally arrived nearly a year later on October 19th 2015.
That trailer again set viewing records leading to the film itself opening at the end of 2025. To this day it remains the most expensive film ever made at a net cost of $447 million, but that gamble paid off – the film setting box-office records everywhere.
It was the highest-grossing film of 2015, it still remains the highest-grossing film ever in the United States and Canada at $936 million, and it was the third-highest-grossing film worldwide at the time of its release (it’s now fifth).
However social media reaction to the anniversary has been one more of melancholy, people remembering a time when fans of the franchise were seemingly united and optimistic about what was to come.
When the film hit, audience reviews at the time were gushing even as a part of the fandom complained about it carbon copying ‘A New Hope’. When “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” opened two years later though and did try something different, the fanbase fractured and it has never been the same again since.
In the rear view mirror and with the haze of nostalgia gone, the estimation of ‘Force Awakens’ seems less now than when it came out (though still miles above ‘Rise of Skywalker’). The acclaimed “Andor” aside, the whole franchise is seen as being in need of rethinking – but it’s not clear if that will happen anytime soon.
Rewatch the trailer below. Have your say in the comments below, how has your perception of “Star Wars” changed over those ten years and what do you think it needs to do to bring back the communal wonder and joy it once had?
The post Fans Reflect On “Force Awakens” Teaser Day appeared first on Dark Horizons.
