The past few days have been an absolute whirlwind for Star Wars fans, and things are just getting started.
With The Last Jedi‘s full-length trailer now out in the open, the Internet is awash with speculation and far-flung rumors, not to mention some fairly convincing theories drawn from the footage itself. In case you missed it, be sure to have a gander at our own trailer analysis, which cherry-picks eight crucial moments and examines what they could mean for The Last Jedi, the untitled Episode IX, and beyond.
But circling back to that aforementioned trailer, the numbers are now in and as expected, it racked up a staggering amount of views. In a statement released earlier today, Lucasfilm revealed that the preview was watched 120.1 million times in just the first 24 hours. That’s 29.1 million more views than the initial teaser had.
“Earlier this week, the full trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrived on Monday Night Football and online,” reads the press release. “In just 24 hours, the trailer was viewed more than 120.1 million times worldwide, making it one of the biggest trailer debuts of all time. It had 29.1 million more views than the film’s first teaser released at Star Wars Celebration last April, and there are 242K (and counting) Twitter posts surrounding Star Wars: The Last Jedi this week.”
As impressive as that is, it still doesn’t net The Last Jedi the all-time record. That belongs to It, the trailer for which was viewed a jaw dropping 197 million times in the first 24 hours. Following that film, we have The Fate of The Furious at 139 million and Thor: Ragnarok at 136 million.
“It’s your response to the trailer and eagerness to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi that has us feeling most proud,” said the statement. “It’s difficult to articulate what these view numbers, your online discussions, and your reaction videos (which we watch!) mean to us. We are humbled and grateful. To those of you who have already bought your tickets for opening weekend, thank you. Many shows have sold out in the US, and the UK/Ireland box office had one of its biggest pre-sales ever. But rest assured, there are plenty of seats still available! In just two short months, much will be revealed about Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn, General Leia, Luke…and our new friends, the porgs. Thank you to Star Wars fans everywhere. The Force is with you.”
It’s different, it’s unexpected, and it may well be the longest film in the franchise. Yes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is shaping up to be something truly special, not least because it’ll herald Carrie Fisher’s final turn in the Skywalker saga. Her General Leia Organa will be fondly remembered, of course, just don’t get your hopes up for any form of CGI resurrection in the untitled Episode IX.
Looking further afield, that aforementioned film has since found a new director (J.J. Abrams) and release date (December 20th, 2019), placing it right alongside Warner’s Wonder Woman 2.
