Rumor: Could Abrams be seeking to move The Force Awakens to this summer?

February 9th 2015, 9:32pm

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

This latest Star Wars rumor is every fanboy's wet dream come true: As reported by iKwiz and MoviePilot, word is that J.J. Abrams is looking to have Disney bump up the release date of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS to this summer. The reasoning? To prevent any more spoilers or leaks from ruining audience expectation before the film hits.

Now, don't get me wrong, the reasoning is sound. If the film would be ready to go, why NOT release what's sure to be one of the highest grossing films of the year during the months when audiences are more inclined to flock to theaters? The biggest reason would be that of the summer release schedule. As you no doubt have noticed, release dates for big-budget films are generally pegged YEARS in advance. This is done systematically to ensure the biggest box office gain for a film. Not only does a studio want to space out their movies to give each one a shot to earn their nut, but they also are conscious of the other films being released by rival studios.

So what's hitting this summer? If we're looking just at Disney, they have Marvel's AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON hitting May 1st, TOMORROWLAND May 22nd, Pixar's INSIDE OUT June 19th, and Marvel's ANT-MAN July 17th. As you can see, they've spaced out their movies just enough to give each a shot in theaters. That's not even taking into account the other films being released this summer. One could argue that an August release might be in the cards, despite coming in at the end of the season. On the flip side, if you look at the December 18th date, STAR WARS is pretty much clear of any film that may pull in the same audience, leaving it to rake in the Christmas dollars, as well as the new year market (which AMERICAN SNIPER did a hell of a job doing).

So could THE FORCE AWAKENS be moved to this summer? Sure, stranger things have happened. It's also not J.J. Abrams' call. While the time of year is a huge factor, I think we're all pretty confident that STAR WARS is going to make bank, regardless of the release date. The nerd in me would love to see Star Wars return to the summer, but I'm also not holding my breath.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS is, as of now, scheduled to hit theaters on December 18, 2015.