IT’S TRUE. ALL OF IT. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS IS COMING HOME
THE LATEST FILM IN THE STAR WARS SAGA ARRIVES ON MULTIPLE FORMATS THIS APRIL, ALONG WITH SEVERAL RETAILER-EXCLUSIVE EDITIONS!
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is calling to you. And you can let it in this April.
As announced this morning by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Iger at The Walt Disney Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the epic movie will be available to own early on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on April 1. It comes home on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on April 5. The film shattered box office records upon its debut, eventually grossing over $926 million domestic and $2.05 billion worldwide. Featuring new heroes and villains, along with classic characters, thrilling action, and a heartfelt story, Star Wars: The Force Awakens connected with fans and deepened the mythology of Star Wars. Take a first look at disc packaging below!
Packaged with the film is a galaxy of bonus content that will take fans inside the making of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, including an in-depth documentary, featurettes, and more. Secrets will be revealed through extensive footage, never-before-seen deleted scenes, and exclusive interviews with the actors and filmmakers. Bonus features include*:
- Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey – For the first time, discover the complete story behind the making of The Force Awakens, revealed through in-depth footage and exclusive interviews with the actors and filmmakers in this feature documentary
- The Story Awakens: The Table Read – Cast members familiar and new reflect on the memorable day they all first came together to read the movie’s script
- Building BB-8 – See how the filmmakers brought the newest droid to the screen, creating an instant fan favorite in the Star Wars universe
- Crafting Creatures – Watch movie magic as the filmmakers bring a cast of new creatures to life
- Blueprint of a Battle: The Snow Fight – Go deeper into the epic, climactic lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren
- John Williams: The Seventh Symphony – The legendary composer shares personal insights of his work on Star Wars and The Force Awakens
- ILM: The Visual Magic of The Force – An insider’s look into the remarkable digital artistry of the movie’s visual effects.
- Force For Change – Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. See how the Star Wars: Force for Change initiative has united Star Wars fans all over the globe to help others
- Plus Deleted Scenes
[Editor’s Note: It appears that the documentary Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey will be “full length” so it could actually be quite substantial.]
* Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer
Note: The 3D version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be available later this year.
Here’s Disney’s official promo trailer for the home video release. Be sure to watch it in full HD...
RETAILER EXCLUSIVES
To celebrate the in-home release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy are each offering fans a retailer-exclusive, uniquely packaged, collectible version of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray Combo Pack. These limited edition releases, seen below, will be packaged as follows:
TARGET – The Target Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray Combo Pack comes with exclusive packaging and an added 20 minutes of bonus content, including never-before-seen interviews with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega and a deeper look at the movie’s costumes and weaponry
WALMART – The Walmart Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray Combo Pack comes with exclusive BB-8 packaging and an exclusive Star Wars Galactic Connexions trading disc
BEST BUY – The Best Buy Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray Combo Pack features exclusive SteelBook Packaging
Star Wars: The Force Awakens saw the eagerly anticipated reteaming of original Star Wars stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, along with Anthony Daniels, the only actor to have been in all seven Star Wars films, and Peter Mayhew. The returning cast was joined by newcomer Daisy Ridley, who beat out fierce competition to take the principal role of Rey; BAFTA Rising Star Award winner John Boyega (Attack the Block, Imperial Dreams) as reluctant stormtrooper Finn; Emmy nominee Adam Driver (Lincoln, Girls) as the villainous Kylo Ren, and Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, The Bourne Legacy) as Resistance pilot Poe Dameron.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt. Lucasfilm president and eight-time Academy Award nominee Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams, along with his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, are the film’s producers. Having established a musical legacy with his iconic scores for the previous six films in the Star Wars saga, acclaimed composer John Williams returned to score Star Wars: The Force Awakens, ultimately garnering his 50th Oscar nomination for his work.
Prepare to enter a new generation of Star Wars — all over again.
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So there you go. As I suggested, I think this is a more basic release, that will be followed by a more deluxe release in the 4th Quarter (with more extras and also Blu-ray 3D). In any case, the artwork above links to each of the respective retailer pages. Remember, if you want to support The Bits, use the image at the top which goes to Amazon.com.
Stay tuned…
- Bill Hunt (@BillHuntBits)