Disney CEO Won't Get Cocky Over Early STAR WARS: THE FORCES AWAKENS Box Office Estimates
Jurassic World may have smashed box office records, but recent estimates have Star Wars: The Force Awakens pegged to top the box office in 2015. However, Disney CEO Bob Iger has warned fans not to get carried away by the early predictions. Read on for more!
By Minty -
Aug 05, 2015 05:08 AM EST
Source: EW
Disney CEO and Chairman Bob Iger channeled Han Solo yesterday when he warned people not to get cocky over early box office estimates for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In June, Morgan Stanley predicted a domestic haul of $650-750 million and $1.3-1.5 billion overseas, potentially culminating in a combined $2.25 billion at the global box office. Many had wondered whether the blockbuster sequel could challenge James Cameron's reign at the top of the all-time box office statistics. This estimate would place The Force Awakens ahead of Titanic in second place (but still over $500 million behind the overwhelmingly successful Avatar).
However, with the movie still four months away, Iger was quick to temper the rising expectations. "We know there is just incredible interest in this film. We put two teaser trailers out, and the response has just been enormous," he began, "That said, as enthusiastic as we are for what we know of the film, we have not seen a Star Wars film since 2005. And there are markets around the world that are less familiar with Star Wars than, say, the United States, for instance."
Iger insisted that while the fans' love for Star Wars was, in his words, "rather apparent", they didn't want to get ahead themselves with estimates and predictions. "We're making, at this point, no estimate whatsoever in terms of what we believe the film will do," he stated. However, he did acknowledge that it's probably "the most valuable film franchise that ever existed", before adding, "We fully expect the success of this film will reverberate throughout the company, not only in 2016 but in the years beyond, because we obviously have a rich slate of Star Wars films coming."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theatres December 18, 2015.