Paying Attention. This is the big one: the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. At the time of this posting, it had been viewed 30,000,000 plus times. Not only is the trailer itself very, very good (you’d expect as much from a J.J. Abrams film project) but the Force is still in the audience for Star Wars films as can be seen by the massive number of viewings the trailer (which is the second one to be released) has garnered. All that was required to get everyone revved up on Star Wars (again) was a closer adherence to the themes and the look that made the first 3 movies in the series so popular all over the world. How well did this particular trailer work? In addition to a massive number of internet viewings, the reaction boosted Disney’s market cap by $2.0 billion (Disney paid $4.0 billion for LucasFilms, George Lucas’ film production company, which owns the rights to the Star Wars franchise and the Indiana Jones series). And that is all before the film has been released (Christmas, 2015). If you’re going to bet big and think big, you’re going to be rewarded if you execute big. In the right hands, a big bet is a sure thing…and J.J. has the hands.
The Fine Print: Embed courtesy of YouTube. Thanks, guys. StarWars is a LucasFilms production, directed by J.J. Abrams. All rights owned by their respective rights holders.