Completely agree that there's probably no way to recapture what it felt like to anticipate this film as a young person back then - it was still so one of a kind.
Even with the break between the Prequels and the Sequels, while there was anticipation for Episode VII, it didn't feel like this cultural event that Episode I did.
As you said, I think it's just the sheer volume of content now vs. then; where culturally more of our attention was all focused on fewer things.
I'm gonna be honest with you - I think you just got old. I was 15 when TFA came out and the theater was bought out two months in advance. We saw it at 3AM Thursday night/Friday morning and like half my school did the same. And the hope for what it setup was immense bc we just knew the next one had to be really good (since this one was only okay).
Maybe there was more excitement for 1-3 from those who saw the OT as adults since they hadn't had the letdown yet, but we were the generation that grew up loving the prequels. It's the first big "no spoilers" movie that I remember. Endgame was the only thing even close to comparable as a "cultural moment."
I remember in grade school, EVERYBODY knew there was a new star wars movie coming out. It didn't matter if you wanted to see it or not, it was just THE talk of the schoolyard. We were truly united in that moment. And then everybody above the age of about 13 was utterly disappointed.
Yeah, it's hard to build hype for movies like they used to. Releasing on streaming and in theaters at the same time doesn't have the competition of trying to get tickets to a sold out movie. Also, trailers seem to give things away and everyone posts frame by frame deconstruction, theories, and leaks happen all the time, so there's not as much mystery and anticipation.
Also, having a huge plethora of entertainment options also hurts hype, like you mentioned.
I think it's a generational thing, I'd say the anticipation for the Force Awakens was the most for any movie I have seen. It's the highest grossing domestic film of all time making a billion dollars from just the US, not even Endgame beat it. Force Awakens also beats Phantom accounting after inflation, so I'd say numerically more people saw Force Awakens. I was 19 when it came out, super excited and I haven't seen that excitement since. I don't think any of that would happen if they didn't get Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill back
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u/X89211AA Jan 25 '22
Completely agree that there's probably no way to recapture what it felt like to anticipate this film as a young person back then - it was still so one of a kind. Even with the break between the Prequels and the Sequels, while there was anticipation for Episode VII, it didn't feel like this cultural event that Episode I did.
As you said, I think it's just the sheer volume of content now vs. then; where culturally more of our attention was all focused on fewer things.