More than 40 years after the launch of the Star Wars saga, the latest film, "The Ascension of Skywalker", is released in several countries this week. For the past week, unconditional fans of the space odyssey have been waiting outside to attend the first public screening on American territory, Thursday, December 19, at the TCL Chinese Theater, in Los Angeles.
Experts predict a whirlwind start of the latest installment in the adventures created by George Lucas, with $ 200-225 million in revenue expected this weekend in the United States and Canada alone. Disney CEO Bob Iger assured AFP that this final episode would give fans "a sense of completion, a form of satisfaction." "Star Wars is without doubt the strongest mythology of our modern era," he said, stressing that "this evening, which is the culmination of nine films, is incredibly important" for all fans of the premiere. hour.
Carrie Fisher still there
The film marks the return of director JJ Abrams, whose episode VII, "Le Réveil de la Force", had broken all North American box office records in 2015. The filmmaker notably had to compensate for the absence of Actress Carrie Fisher, who died of a heart attack in late 2016 when she was supposed to resume her legendary role as Princess Leia Organa in the following episodes. She is very present in this last film but only thanks to a clever recycling of shots taken during episode VII, carefully preserved in the archives.
Disney, the world's number one entertainment player with marketing skills, has given free rein to its dark side to raise tension among fans, distilling new clips and trailers in recent days. "The Ascension of Skywalker" is the fifth feature in the Star Wars universe produced in five years, and Disney has promised to slow down to keep the audience from getting bored.
A blank canvas
The next ones on the list, whose titles and storylines are not yet known, are scheduled for 2022, 2024 and 2026. "We are in no rush. We know fans will want another movie, or a few other movies, and we're going to make it for them, "said Bob Iger.
The relentless will in any case be patient with three series: the new Disney streaming service has already started broadcasting "The Mandalorian" and two others are announced. One will stage Obi-Wan Kenobi, still played by Ewan McGregor, and the second the characters from the film "Rogue One", which had been very well received by fans in 2016.
"The beauty of all this is that we are facing a blank canvas that we paint, paint and paint again," said the CEO of Disney. "And when the painting is beautiful, we will reveal it to the world".
With AFP
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