Star Wars fever is in full swing following the Star Wars celebration event that was recently held in honor of the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It’s not just fans who are excited for the upcoming mega-blockbuster. Shares in Star Wars owner Disney have skyrocketed, leaving the company valued at a whopping two billion dollars higher following the trailer.
Looking back the the launch of The Phantom Menace, the opening movie in the prequel trilogy, it’s easy to see why Disney are expected to rake in the big bucks. The movie grossed over a billion dollars at the box office alone, costing just $115 million to make.
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Now Disney has theoretically added twice that amount to its value via the stock market, and that’s before The Force Awakens has even been released, or even finished. All we’ve had so far is a couple of trailers, an amazing publicity event and some unbelievable hype. This could undoubtedly be the movie sensation of our lives.
CBS Money Watch claims that a repeat of the massive success of the original Star Wars title A New Hope, which also grossed over a billion at the box office alone, could be seen on the movie’s release. That would make it three for three for opening entries in Star Wars Trilogies. Here’s what they had to say.
The first installment of George Lucas’ galactic soap opera has grossed more than $1.1 billion (£735 million) in inflation-adjusted terms, according to Box Office Mojo. Analysts expect history to repeat itself when the latest instalment in the franchise, “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens,” is released in December.
Keith Simanton, the managing editor of IMDB.com, expects the film to gross $225 (£150.4) million during its opening weekend, breaking a record held since 2012 by “Marvel’s the Avengers.” He estimates it will earn $1.8 (£1.2) billion altogether, the biggest total in history behind “Avatar” and “Titanic.” Ray Subers at BoxOfficeMojo isn’t quite as bullish, expecting a $125 (£83.5) million to $150 (£100) million opening weekend and a total gross of $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion (£802 million – £935 million)
“I haven’t heard the buzz that I have heard for “The Force Awakens” for a very long time,” Simanton said in an interview.
– CBS Money Watch
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It’s going to be an incredible year for moviegoers, as well of course for Disney as well. Let’s not forget that the movie giant also owns the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well – expect more big gains in 2015 if you somehow own some of their stock.
Via: Gizmodo
Article Excerpt from: CBS News Money Watch