The Force Awakens run-time revealed; J.J. Abrams talks first screening

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

We're just eighteen days away from the release of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS and I can't wait to get my butt in that theater seat. As to how long how our butts will be in those seats come December 18th, we finally have an answer. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS will have a run-time of 136 minutes, which is one minute longer than the previously rumoured run-time. To put that into perspective, that would put THE FORCE AWAKENS around the middle of the pack of the pre-existing Star Wars saga: A NEW HOPE ran for 121 minutes, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ran 124 minutes, RETURN OF THE JEDI ran 131 minutes, THE PHANTOM MENACE ran 136 minutes, ATTACK OF THE CLONES ran 142 minutes, and REVENGE OF THE SITH ran for 140 minutes.

Most films experience some form of screening for the big executives, and STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS was no exception. J.J. Abrams told Howard Stern today that the first screening of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS for Disney executives Alan Horn, Bob Iger, and Alan Bergman was "horrifying."

We showed the first cut — which was still incomplete, a complete version of the movie but not the finished version — and we showed it to Alan Horn, Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, the three people at Disney who sat with me in the theater, and we screened the movie. And it was horrifying. I'm nervous beyond words, I'm showing this movie that is so far from finished, there's not an effect in it … It was a lot of me giving excuses before the screening.

As expected, the response was favourable, which J.J. Abrams described as "the biggest relief of my life," but he then grew suspicious and joked that "their response was so kind, [I thought] they were just being nice." We don't have too much longer to wait until we can form our own opinions as the December 18th release of STAR WAR: THE FORCE AWAKENS is quickly approaching.