Christopher Closeup
As expected, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has done blockbuster business opening weekend, earning over $250 million. I also heard a statistic that said 71% of the people who attended were adults. To me, that suggests the movie’s popularity is about more than simple pop culture nostalgia, but something deeper.
“Star Wars” is popular among 40-somethings like me because we saw the original movies when we were kids and it captured our imaginations like nothing had before. But we were likely so young at the time, we wouldn’t have gone to the theater by ourselves. A parent or some other loved one probably took us.
For myself, I remember my father taking me to Manhattan to see the original. We never went to the city to see a movie, so this was something special. And when I mentioned it to my father the other day, he even recalled that the theater we went to was in the Murray Hill section. Apparently, this trip left an impression on him, too. It was the first (and the only time I can remember) that we made a trip outside of our home borough of Queens just to see a movie.
I suspect a lot of other people my age have similar memories of going to see their first “Star Wars” movie. And for the generation who were kids when the prequels came out, their experiences are likely similar.
As such, the draw of the “Star Wars” franchise isn’t just the mythology it created; it’s the memory of the family we saw it with. It’s not just about feeling seven years old again, but feeling seven and re-experiencing just a touch of our lives back then with the family that raised us and loved us and made us feel secure. At least, that’s how my Christmas-infused, sentimental brain sees it.
That connection to family is a perfect sentiment for the Christmas season. It’s a Force that spans generations.
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