J.J. Abrams says he initially declined Star Wars film offer
After reboot’s opening weekend global gross of $517 million, ‘terrified’ Jewish director likely breathing a sigh of relief
Jewish film director J.J. Abrams, whose Star Wars reboot had the biggest North American debut of all time on Sunday, initially turned down the request to direct the film.
Abrams, 49, has directed two major Star Trek films and the third Mission: Impossible. He feared he would become known as “the guy who does sequels,” he told The Times Magazine.
“When [Lucasfilm president] Kathy [Kennedy] called I did something I don’t normally do, which is look at my career. I really did feel like ‘that sounds like the wrong idea’,” he said.
Luckily for him – and for happy moviegoers, many of whom are reportedly returning to theaters to watch the movie a second time in the space of a single weekend – his wife Katie McGrath convinced him to take on the project.
“Katie said: ‘If you want to do this and you don’t, you’re going to regret this.’”
After considering the project, Abrams recalls that he “wanted people to feel the magic of what Star Wars was: the sense of romance, the sense of heart, the loyalty, the sweetness, the friendship, the unexpected scenarios, the discoveries the characters make, the sense of impossible scale made possible.”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens brought in $238 million over the weekend, making it the biggest North American debut of all time according to studio estimates on Sunday.
The Walt Disney Co. earnings destroy the previous opening record set by Universal’s “Jurassic World,” which drew $208.8 million this summer.
Internationally, the film brought in $279 million, bringing its global gross to $517 million — second only to “Jurassic World’s” global bow of $525 million. But the dinosaurs had the added benefit of China — “Star Wars” won’t open there until Jan. 9.
This is just the latest in a laundry list of records set by J.J. Abrams’s film, the seventh in the Star Wars franchise, which had analysts anticipating a debut anywhere from $150 million to $300 million.
The “X-factor” was quality. While “The Force Awakens” drew enormous pre-sales, the film was kept under lockdown from the press and critics until mere days before it was released to the public. Reviews turned out to be stellar (95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), as did early audience reaction, who gave the film an A CinemaScore.
Rentrak’s Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian said that’s the key element that may push the film to the $2 billion mark by the end of its run. Many are going back for a second helping.
“The enthusiasm has really turned into a cultural event,” said Dave Hollis, Disney’s executive vice president of theatrical distribution. “It’s unbelievable.”
The film marks the latest success in the celebrated career of the director who in July described himself to The Daily Show host Jon Stewart as the “most nebbishy Jewish director, ever.”
Abrams wasn’t describing his wiry body or aquiline nose, but rather a penchant for science fiction and fantasy creations that grew out of his childhood interest in mysteries and puzzle-solving.
As Steven Spielberg has joked, the latest Star Wars film is like Abrams’s second bar mitzvah.
“J.J. is terrified,” Spielberg, 68, told 60 Minutes during an interview last week. “There’s a lot of pressure on J.J. — to start paying Disney back for, you know, the franchise they bought from George Lucas.”
If the estimates and analysts are to be believed, he seems to have pulled it off.
Jessica Steinberg and AP contributed to this report.
