Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premiere takes Hollywood by storm after hype on an intergalactic scale
- Stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac mix with veterans Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, and director JJ Abrams, in Los Angeles
- Analysts predict a stellar US$200-$225 million at the US box office this weekend for the last of the ‘Skywalker saga’ films
The final film in the epic Star Wars trilogy of trilogies brought Hollywood to a standstill on Monday, as a galaxy of VIPs from the space saga that began four decades ago descended on a glittering world premiere.
Veterans Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo) arrived to bid farewell to the movies that launched their careers in style at a futuristic hangar filled with life-size X-wing starfighters in Los Angeles.
They were joined by a who’s who of Hollywood, with special guests from Steven Spielberg to Spike Lee.
“Tonight, looking at this whole mise-en-scene is quite bewildering,” Anthony Daniels, who has played the android C-3PO in every main Star Wars film, said. “In fact, it’s such a big experience that I’m not sure I can quite cope with it. But I do feel proud to be here and proud to be part of it.”
The Rise of Skywalker officially concludes the so-called “Skywalker saga” of films begun by George Lucas in 1977 – a fact Disney’s all-conquering publicity machine has used to ramp up hype on an intergalactic scale.