Disney Thanks Star Wars Fans For Force Awakens Support

Disney has thanked the fans for their support of Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the new trailer was shown on ESPN in front of 16 million viewers and also netted 112 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours.

You can watch the trailer above.

Via StarWars.com:

The excitement. The joy. The power of Star Wars fans.

They’re real.

After two record-breaking teasers, the full trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuted earlier this week, and we are humbled by the response. The sneak peek shown during ESPN’s Monday Night Football was seen by a TV audience of over 16 million, followed by an immediate release on YouTube, Facebook, and platforms worldwide. In just 24 hours, the trailer was viewed online more than 112 million times. That’s 128 million times globally in a single day! But more than numbers, there was discussion, there were reaction videos, there were fun memes. There were cheers and there were tears from fans young and old. We saw and loved it all, and it meant the world to the creators of the film. And we were equally blown away by the advance ticket sales.

Websites slowed, crashed, and became one with the Force. (There probably hasn’t been this big of a network jam in a galaxy far, far away since the Emperor’s trap in the Battle of Endor.) Incredibly — but not surprisingly — you set numerous records, including the biggest-ever 24 hours for advance sales in numerous countries. In the UK, more than 200,000 tickets were sold in the first day. In Norway, you braved subzero temperatures overnight to make sure you were among the first to see the film. Fortunately, there are still plenty of tickets to be had for opening weekend and beyond.

All of us at Lucasfilm are totally overwhelmed by the enthusiasm we’ve seen from fans this week and throughout the lead-up to this film. And we still have 56 days to go until the official December 18 release date!

Thank you all for making the Star Wars universe what it is, and for keeping it alive and growing and meaningful. Star Wars is back and beginning an exciting new journey, and it’s because of you.

The Force. It’s calling to you. We can’t wait for you to let it in, again, this December.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has a December 18, 2015 release directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.