Tag: star wars

Star Wars: Galactic Nights Returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios May 27
Alright Star Wars Addicts, it’s back – the Star Wars: Galactic Nights one-night special event will return to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 27.

In case you aren’t familiar, Star Wars: Galactic Nights is a thrilling Star Wars-themed event held after park hours from 7 p.m.-midnight. It celebrates the entire Star Wars saga with out-of-this-world entertainment, special photo opportunities, event-exclusive merchandise and F&B, and encounters with rarely seen characters that guests can only experience during Star Wars: Galactic Nights.

Here’s a look at other event offerings:
- Star Wars: Galactic Destinations Projections Transform The Hollywood Tower Hotel – Visible on the Sunset Boulevard area of the park the facade of the Hollywood Tower Hotel will transform via stunning projection technology to showcase familiar locations from across the galaxy. Favorite film moments, special effects, lighting, and of course the stellar Star Wars cinematic score supports each galactic location moment all night long. Star Wars Galactic Destinations is currently an event exclusive.
- Existing Star Wars Entertainment Will Debut New Enhancements – The park’s existing Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular fireworks and the Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away stage show will both debut new saga elements for the first time during Star Wars: Galactic Nights.
- Special Photo Ops – Throughout the park, guests can step into immersive and iconic scenes from their favorite Star Wars films in a series of incredibly detailed photo locations. These special photo ops will only be available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during Star Wars: Galactic Nights
- Character Encounters – Expect to encounter Star Wars characters from throughout the galaxy. Guests will also be able to view an Imperial Stormtrooper March with Darth Vader.
- Exclusive Food & Beverage offerings – Taste your way around the galaxy with specialty food and beverage offerings created for Galactic Nights. Inspired by the stories and iconic characters of Star Wars, these tasting-sized sips and bites bring a delectable addition to this event.
- Enjoy park attractions – Select attractions will be open to all guests – and some may even offer a special Star Wars twist on May 27 only.
January 29, 2018
The Last Jedi Blasts Into The Top 10 Highest Grossing Films All Time

Although Star Wars: The Last Jedi was met with mixed reviews and probably won’t come close to the box office earnings of The Force Awakens, it is still a huge financial success for Disney. The most recent installment to the Star Wars saga is now one of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time.

The film cracked the top 10 and is now sits as the ninth highest grossing film of all time. It passed Frozen which now holds the 10 spot and it pushed Beauty and the Beast out completely, dropping it to 11th. It’s not likely, but it’s possible it could still gain a spot or two before it’s all said and done. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 sits at number eight with $1.34 billion.

With Disney now owning 7 of the Top 10 highest grossing films of all time — everytime a Star Wars, Marvel or Disney movie starts breaking records — they are basically just rearranging the top 10 with their own movies and will eventually just end up controlling a majority of the top 20 highest grossers. One small sad bit of news that comes with all this is that Toy Story 3 has now been pushed out of that top 20.

The film has now officially crossed the $1.31 billion mark at the global box office, which includes $700 million from the overseas market. The film is nearing the end of its box office run after 49 days in theaters. The film has brought in more than $600 billion domestically and brought in $4.2 million this weekend. The Last Jedi is also the sixth-biggest grosser ever in North America.

It’s not all about breaking records, but the film has already set several. Disney-Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi brought in more than $220 Million during its opening weekend making it the second biggest opening day total behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($247M).

Those numbers make it the fourth film in domestic box office history to cross the $200 million threshold in its opening weekend. It is also had the second highest opening day total bringing in $104 million. It’s the second highest opening day for a film in U.S. history and once again second only to The Force Awakens.

The film fell 35% from The Force Awakens in the U.S. and globally even more, down around $750 million from The Force Awakens. But when a film with a $225 million production budget brings in $1.3 billion in global sales, Disney isn’t losing any sleep.

January 28, 2018
The Last Jedi Gets 4 Oscar Nominations
Nominations for the 90th Annual Academy Awards were announced Tuesday, and the latest film in the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, has been nominated for four Oscars. The film, which started off with mixed reviews, has still wound up being one of the most successful movies of all time at the box office with $1.2 billion and counting.

The eighth episode in the saga garnered attention in four categories:
- Original Score – John Williams
- Visual Effects – Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, and Neal Scanlan
- Sound Editing – Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce
- Sound Mixing – Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, and Michael Semanick
For Original Score, it’s up against Dunkirk, Phantom Thread, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

In Visual Effects, the other competitors are Blade Runner 2049, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Kong: Skull Island and War for the Planet of the Apes.

The original Star Wars, released in 1977, received 10 nods and won six Oscars; The Empire Strikes Back (1980) received three nominations, winning two Oscars; Return of the Jedi (1983) nabbed four nominations with one win; The Phantom Menace (1999) captured three nominations; Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005) both received one nomination; The Force Awakens (2015), which kicked off the current trilogy, received five nominations — the most since the original Star Wars.

Congratulations to all the nominees. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman, has taken the saga in bold new directions — and perhaps most importantly, also brought us porgs.
January 24, 2018
Latest Construction Update for Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios

We’re back with another update on the progress with the Galaxy’s Edge construction at Hollywood Studios.

The opening is still well over a year away and the anticipation is overwhelming, but at least we can get these little peeks at what they are up to and how the future land is shaping up!

Overview of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. pic.twitter.com/YtCuhfXj4E

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) January 14, 2018

The awesome ariel shots show the massive project which is hard to appreciate from the ground. In the picture below you can really get a sense of the scope of the project.

Photo: @bioreconstruct

The left arrow at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge rock work frame that can be seen from Grand Avenue. Smaller arrows at what may become a landscaped hill, and a section almost filled in with dirt.

Here you can see Where they starting to block the view from the surrounding areas with a natural looking forest.

Instant forest on the berm isolating Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. Seen from Pixar Place. pic.twitter.com/Y3i2JtD9UA

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) January 20, 2018

Here you can see the high points in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. This is the current view from Grand Avenue.

Photo: @bioreconstruct

Photo: @bioreconstruct

Here is another great aerial view where we can see the current work on the buildings near the Millennium Falcon attraction in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. You can also make out the marketplace passageways taking form.

Photo: @bioreconstruct

If you want to see more of the progression they have made so far take a look back here. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is set to open in 2019. Keep checking

January 23, 2018
Official Synopsis For Solo: A Star Wars Story Revealed

After a rough start and months of production we finally have details on the plot of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Lucasfilm revealed the official synopsis for the film, Tuesday, offering some new details on the upcoming film. Check it out below:

Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.

Usually by this point we would have some publicity shots of the movie’s star Alden Ehrenreich as young Han Solo or at the very least a teaser or a trailer. So it is real nice to finally get the lowdown on the plot.

We now know that Solo won’t be laughing it up with the fuzzball when the film begins. Instead it seems that audiences will get to witness the first meeting between the smuggler and Chewbacca, who we know end up being best pals.

While not much else is known about the film, director Ron Howard has kept everyone up to date on the production status of Solo: A Star Wars Story through social media. The film wrapped up filming back in October.

#Solo that’s a wrap folks. Thanx to a remarkable cast and crew for an amazing experience pic.twitter.com/trsZRVedHm

— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) October 19, 2017

Solo: A Star Wars Story is slated for release on May 25, 2018.

January 18, 2018
9 Things We Know About Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge So Far

1. It Opens Next Year! – Opening date is currently set at 2019. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at the Disneyland Resort will debut first and the land at the Walt Disney World Resort will debut second.

2. It’s Set On The Planet Batuu – At Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, guests visit Batuu, a remote outpost on the galaxy’s edge was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes, but its prominence was bypassed by the rise of hyperspace travel. Now home to those who prefer to stay out of the mainstream, it has become a thriving port for smugglers, rogue traders and adventurers traveling between the frontier and uncharted space. It’s also a convenient safe haven for those intent on avoiding the expanding reach of the First Order. (See rendering at the top).

3. You’ll Be Able To Fly The Millenium Falcon – One of the land’s two signature attractions will put you in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon, piloting the ship, shooting blasters or preparing for hyperspace – all while completing a critical mission. But how you perform on the mission holds even bigger stakes: perform with skill and you may earn extra galactic credits, while bringing the ship back banged up could put you on the list of a bounty hunter. End up on Harkos’s list and you may face a problem if you show up at the local cantina.

4. A Second Attraction Planned for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Puts You On A Star Destroyer – This attraction, “built on a scale we’ve never done before,” will make guests feel like they’re inside a hangar bay in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. (The name of this attraction is still yet to be released).

5. A Cantina Will Serve Up Blue Milk – Only one F&B item has been announced for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge so far and that’s the blue milk Luke Skywalker made famous in “Star Wars IV: A New Hope.”

6. Expect To See Characters From A Galaxy Far, Far Away – Guests will also encounter many familiar faces inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, including BB-8, Chewbacca, members of the First Order and – among many others – Rex, the troublesome pilot you may remember from the previous version of a certain Disney attraction who takes on a new role in this land as the DJ at the cantina.

7. The Land Will Feature Marketplaces & New Toys – Imagineers looked to the exotic markets of Istanbul and Marrakech for inspiration for the land’s marketplace, where guests can explore a rich collection of shops and merchant stalls. One stall will be overseen by a Toydarian, a creatures fans first encountered on Tatooine in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” Here, guests will be able to discover all kinds of fun toys straight out of the Star Wars galaxy.

8. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Merchandise Has Already Been Released – The first Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge merchandise, available at select locations at the Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort, was released in December. The line currently consists of an assortment of men’s and women’s T-shirts, hats and more that feature faces and places familiar to Star Wars fans, including the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge logo, the Millennium Falcon, BB-8, DJ Rex and more.

9. You Can View A Portion Of The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Model Right Now – A portion of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge model is currently on display at the end of the Walt Disney Presents exhibit at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

January 13, 2018
Disney Patent Hints at Possible Lightsaber Experience

Disney is constantly exploring new technologies to help immerse their guests into the worlds they bring to life and a recently published patent reveals possible new plans for “Star Wars” lightsabers. If you are a Star Wars fan then this is the technology you’re looking for.

The application from Disney Enterprises hints at a possible “Star Wars” lightsaber experience. Filed in September 2017, the patent is, not so simply titled, “systems and methods for augmenting an appearance of a hilt to simulate a bladed weapon.”

Included in the document summary it describes, “an overlay image” being used to create the blade portion of the weapon which would give the appearance that the “blade of the bladed weapon is attached to the hilt.” The most likely scenario is that an overlay image would likely be seen through an augmented reality headset of some sort.

“In some implementations, the display may include one or more of a head-mounted display, an optical head-mounted display, a see-through display, an optical see-through display, a video see-through display, a visor, eyeglasses, and/or other display,” the document states.

The hilt could be configured for a vast array of experiences with this technology. The weapon could be “broadsword, an axe, or a katana,” the document states. This leaves open the option for Disney to be able to use the tech in a variety of different attractions beyond the Star Wars universe.

The new patent comes after what seems to be a related patent was published in 2016, which suggested plans for an “audience interaction projection system” with real-life lightsabers that actually allows guests operate them via a projection system.

“An entertainment environment has a user with a faux light saber that interacts with a drone flying through the air or operated with hidden rods to appear as if it is flying through the air,” according to the patent.

Disney files hundreds of patents and many never come to fruition, but it gives us a peek into what Disney’s creative team is working on to raise the bar on theme park experiences.

It’s not a far stretch to imagine Disney bringing this technology to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge if they do move forward with the technology. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland park in 2019.

There is no official word on whether this technology will be brought to the theme parks at this time, but it’s really exciting to think about.

January 8, 2018
Warwick Davis To Make Appearance at Star Wars Day at Sea on Disney Cruise Line
When you Blast off for your Star Wars Day at Sea you’ll experience the heroes, villains and rousing action of the legendary saga up-close. Now you’ll not only find the droids you’re looking for, but also Fan-favorite Star Wars actor Warwick Davis on your ‘out of this galaxy’ sailing on the high seas.

Warwick Davis was announced as a Star Wars Day at Sea guest presenter on the March 17-24, 2018, Disney Fantasy sailing.

As you may know, Warwick Davis played Wicket, one of the most important Ewoks in the galaxy in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. He also appeared in different roles in several other Star Wars films, including Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Warwick also will join the intergalactic action in the upcoming, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

But wait, there’s more! Here are the other exciting guest presenters coming to Star Wars Day at sea this year:
- January 6-13: Scott Trowbridge, Walt Disney Imagineering creative portfolio executive for Star Wars franchise
- January 13-20: TBD
- January 20-27: Matt Martin, Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive
- January 27-Feb. 3: TBD
- February 3-10: TBD
- February 10-17: Delilah Dawson, author of the “Phasma,” “The Perfect Weapon” and other Star Wars stories
- February 17-24: Pablo Hidalgo, Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive
- February 24-March 3: Jarrett J. Krosoczka, writer and illustrator of “Jedi Academy: A New Class” children’s book series
- March 3-10: TBD
- March 10-17: Troy Alders, Lucas Licensing art director
- March 17-24: Warwick Davis, actor, multiple Star Wars films
- March 24-31: Katie Cook, artist featured in Star Wars trading card sets, children’s books and web comics
- March 31-April 7: Leland Chee, Lucasfilm Story Group managing Holocron continuity database
- April 7-14: Russell Paul, Industrial Light & Magic, asset and digital supervisor
- April 14-21: Ashley Eckstein, Her Universe founder, voice of Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels
Hearing their incredible stories and meeting these amazing guest presenters are just some of the ways you can celebrate the legendary adventures and iconic characters from the Star Wars galaxy on a Star Wars Day at Sea cruise. The event features a full day of fun, including Star Wars-themed family and youth activities, character encounters, a costume celebration and a thrilling deck party with a spectacular fireworks display.

Star Wars Day at Sea returns to the Disney Fantasy from January to April 2018. If you need help booking this epic day on your family’s Caribbean cruise vacation, contact Travel Time with Vikki for help. My services are completely free and I will always find you the lowest rates. Let me do all the work so you don’t have to!
January 5, 2018
runDisney Announces First Ever Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon

If you love to run this is the marathon you’re looking for. runDisney is giving runners everywhere the opportunity to participate in the first-ever Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon and earn an out of this galaxy Star Wars-themed medal.

Starting January 3 – February 28, you can register for the new virtual race at runDisney.com or at the runDisney Health & Fitness Expo during Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, January 3-6. Complete 13.1 miles in your neighborhood, on a treadmill or wherever you enjoy running by March 31 to earn your one-of-a-kind Star Wars hardware.

This new virtual run experience also includes the 2018 runDisney Kessel Run Challenge, offering runners the chance to earn a special challenge medal for completing both the Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon from home and the Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon on April 22 at Walt Disney World Resort.

As part of the registration process participants will have the opportunity to make a donation to Starlight Children’s Foundation on behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change. Starlight Children’s Foundation brings joy and comfort to hospitalized children and their families through programs at children’s hospitals around the world.

runDisney will also be making an independent donation to Starlight Children’s Foundation in honor of the Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon.

January 4, 2018
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Forces Its Way To $1 Billion Worldwide

In only three weeks Disney-Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” has blasted past $1 billion in worldwide box office sales to close out 2017. While many critics have given the latest installment rave reviews, there have been mixed reviews from general audiences, but if the box office sales are any indication then this film is no scruffy-looking nerf herder.

“The Last Jedi” pulled in $120.4 million globally on the New Year’s Eve weekend with $52.4 million at 4,232 domestic venues and an additional $68 million internationally. All this before the significant boost it will receive when it opens in its final market on Jan. 5 in China.

On the final day of 2017, “The Last Jedi” has surpassed Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” as the top grossing film in North America for 2017. According to studio estimates on Sunday, “The Last Jedi” brings its domestic total $517.1 million after it’s haul this weekend, while Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” totals $504 million for the year.

“The Last Jedi” is now the eighth highest-grossing domestic movie of all time with $517.1 million and 24th on the worldwide chart with $1.04 billion. The eighth film in the “Star Wars” saga premiered in North America on December 14 to the second-biggest opening ever and is second only to its predecessor, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which debuted in 2015.

“The Last Jedi” is already close to surpassing “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” which brought in $1.06 billion in revenue last year. The last numbered Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, stands at $2.07 billion, ranking it third place all time after its December 2015 premiere.

While the film may crack the top ten globally, odds are it wont come close to “Force Awakens” numbers. But as Han Solo would say, “Never tell me the odds!”

Directed by Rian Johnson, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” picks up where “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” left off. It stars returning cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Andy Serkis. New stars include Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, and Benicio del Toro.

January 1, 2018