Star Wars: The Force Awakens, inarguably the most highly anticipated film of the year, will have its world premiere in Los Angeles on 14 December, just a few days before it hits cinemas worldwide.
From there, the JJ Abrams-directed sci-fi epic will screen in London, followed by other premieres around the world.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Disney will only screen the film prior to its big night for selected journalists in an effort to keep the film’s plot under wraps.
Much like Paramount Pictures’ promotional approach for Abrams’s 2011 blockbuster, Super 8, the trailers for The Force Awakens are notable for the way they drop hints about the film, rather than summarising the film’s plot. Despite the movie’s rapidly approaching release date of 17 December in the UK and the following day in the US, Disney has not unveiled any new footage since debuting a behind-the-scenes featurette at Comic-Con in July. A new trailer is rumoured to debut this autumn.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been expected to become 2015’s highest-grossing film since the first teaser trailer for the film appeared in November last year. Abrams’s film is also predicted to smash the world record for biggest global box-office opening weekend, currently held by Jurassic World after the dinosaur disaster epic’s $524.4m opening weekend in June.
Original Star Wars stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew all feature in the new film, and are expected to attend the premiere alongside the new film’s stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver, Gwendoline Christie, Max von Sydow and Lupita Nyong’o.
The last live-action Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Sith, also had its world premiere in Los Angeles.
The Force Awakens opens 16 December in France and the following day in the UK, before going US-wide on 18 December.
