The latest trailer of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” during the Star Wars Celebration fan convention held last week at Los Angeles did not only excite fans of the upcoming seventh installment of the “Star Wars” saga, it also momentarily brought a whopping US$2 billion to Disney’s share price.
But the gains in the share price on April 16 was short-lived as profit-taking ensued the following day. Investors decided to cash in on their newfound money so from a high of US$108.10 on Thursday, Disney’s share prices closed 1.3% lower than its Wednesday level.
Joshua Raymond, analyst at CityIndex, attributed the surge in Disney’s share price on April 16 as an emotional connection many investors felt upon seeing the latest trailer of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” reports News.com.au.
Despite the momentary blip, Raymond expected that share prices of Disney to surpass its April 16 record-high because “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will be the highest grossing film in history.
Raymond’s prediction may be on cue as the interest on the latest trailer of the movie alone is quite an indication of how big the movie will become a blockbuster is when it is shown on theaters worldwide on December 18.
As a matter of fact, the movie’s latest trailer has been viewed more than 33 million times on YouTube already.
Event highlight
The release of the new trailer highlighted the annual Star Wars Celebration fan convention that saw thousands of fans of the franchise flocking to see both the old and new cast members as they talk about their roles and hints of the storyline of the seventh installment to the “Star Wars” movie franchise.
With the exception of Harrison Ford, who was not able to attend since he is still recuperating from injury after crash-landing a plane in a golf course last month, the full cast of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was in full attendance led by producer Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams, reports Yahoo! News.
On hand to answer fan questions were Carrie Fisher, who is reprising her classic role as Princess Leia; Mark Hamill, who is back to his old role as Luke Skywalker; Peter Matthew as Chewbacca; Anthony Daniels as C-3PO; and newbies Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, and John Boyega.
The characters of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Peter Matthew, and Anthony Daniels were the original cast members of the first “Star Wars” movie shown in 1977, or 38 years after, so their presence alone is already an indication how classic the movie has become.
So when Harrison Ford showed up on the screen as Han Solo, it was wildly met with cheers in the convention hall from fans who came in their respective Star Wars costumes while wielding glowing lightsabers.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” picks up from Star Wars Episode VI titled “Return of the Jedi” which was shown in 1983 or about 32 years later.