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Tonight is coming in better than anticipated with industry analysts putting Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Saturday between $65.5M-$68.7M. That’s a -43% to -46% decline from Friday’s opening day record of $120.5M, which includes $57M in Thursday previews. While Force Awakens’ Saturday doesn’t beat Jurassic World‘s record, it jumps the opening weekend estimates for Episode VII back up to $238M-$244M.

TRUSSVILLE, Ala. - Before a rally here, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) made a confession. He could not really answer a question about Hillary Clinton's performance in the ABC News-sponsored Democratic debate on Saturday night - because he did not watch it."I actually went and watched the opening of 'Star Wars,'" Cruz said, "which, frankly, was a reality far more realistic than whatever was said at the Democratic debate."..."'Star Wars' was awesome," Cruz said, "although I have to say, there's an image - and I'm not going to be a spoiler - but as someone who grew up, as someone who...

The Force Awakens opened this Friday to packed theaters across America. I haven’t seen it for a number of reasons, among which is an unwillingness to tent out for days just to buy tickets. The film will nonetheless make oodles of money, I’m sure, as Star Wars has replaced the Bible as Western civilization’s primary cultural commonality, both relevant and accessible to people across the societal spectrum. This seventh chapter of the epic space opera may be the first to steer clear of political themes. According to film critic Matt Singer, “The Force Awakens is — arguably to its detriment...

America is obsessed with Star Wars. I'm not making a value judgment, just a statement of fact. It's everywhere, even in car commercials on radio. What the movie franchise has to do with cars is a mystery, but it's probably working because why else would they do it? It certainly worked on me. I watched "The Force Awakens" Thursday at 11 p.m., Friday at 9:40 a.m. and Saturday at 7 a.m. Like I said, it's not a value judgment because I'd be judging myself. No value judgment is being made, but there are judgments to be made in regards to...

My review is below the fold - no spoilers. I saw the movie in Imax-3D format. Next Review: The Hatefull Eight (70 mm) on December 31, 2015.

The “Star Wars” universe was a fixture in Patten Anthony’s childhood: He read the books, played the video games and caught the original movie trilogy when it aired on TV. Now at 29 years old, he’s especially excited that this week’s release of Disney’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” prominently features Nigerian-British actor John Boyega, whose appearance in the movie's trailers suggests he’ll play a pivotal role in the story. “When I saw a black man with a light saber, I got a little hyped,” said Anthony, an African-American resident of Atlanta who works in information technology. “At first I...

If you're a human American over the age of 2, I'm betting I know what you're doing this weekend: you're going to see "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." The seventh film in the Star Wars series, it had a banner opening night, raking in as much as $60 million. Rentrak projects it will end up earning more than $3 billion. Which is all to say, the empire surely will not miss my $20. That's right -- I'm not seeing "Star Wars." So, fans, you don't have to worry -- there won't be any spoilers in this column. I've gone 36...

A couple of Photoshops from years past...

With the combat perspective of a Marine infantryman, Matthew Callahan presents Star Wars as you’ve never seen it before. Marine Sgt. Matthew Callahan, a combat correspondent and former infantryman, has created a photo essay using small Star Wars action figures to portray intense combat scenes and breath life into the grunts of of the Star Wars universe.

Come over to the Merry side... Q: Which program do Jedi use to open PDF files?A: Adobe Wan Kenobi~Q: What do you call 5 siths heaped on top of a lightsaber?A: A Sith-Kabob!~Q: Why does Princess Leia keep her hair tied up in buns?A: So it doesn’t Hang Solow!~Q: Which website did Chewbacca get arrested for creating?A: Wookieleaks~Q: Why did Anakin Skywalker cross the road?A: To get to the Dark Side.~Q: Why is Yoda such a good gardener?A: Because he has a green thumb.~Q: And why can’t you count on Yoda to pick up the tab?A: Because he’s always...

Here's a guide that may help you decide. It's mostly spoiler free, so no specific plot points will be revealed, but it does describe some of the incidents in general terms. You can read this and still not know where the story is going. ... 3.) NO MEANINGLESS DEATH In 1977's original Star Wars, the entire planet of Alderaan was obliterated, but the only human agony we witnessed played out on Princess Leia's face as she watched her homeworld turn into an asteroid field. In The Force Awakens, The First Order has a weapon similar to the Death Star -...

Pretty simple, a very politically incorrect parody. Is there a way to embed on here?

George Lucas’ original intent was that his original trilogy be remembered as a striking blow against American imperialism. In the run up to the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the latest addition to the franchise, there has been a flurry of blog activity making comparisons between current national security issues and a “galaxy far, far away.” Star Wars is a fruitful topic for writers everywhere, as it has a broad appeal and is general knowledge for most people because of its status in popular culture. What many people may not know, however, is that Star Wars creator George Lucas had...

Critics screened the film earlier this week, and with the reviews rolling in, we've compiled a roundup of what they're saying, and in an effort to be as spoiler-free as possible, we only included parts that don't specifically talk about the plot. "Reinvigorating the franchise with a welcome surge of energy, warmth and excitement after the misbegotten cycle of prequels released between 1999 and 2005, incoming writer-director J.J. Abrams seems to have had the original three films firmly in mind when he embarked on this monumental new undertaking, structured as a series of clever if sometimes wobbly callbacks to a...

Boy, has the Force awoken. In truth, it has been stirring for months, with expectations for this seventh Star Wars instalment reaching levels somewhere between over-excited and histrionic. The merchandising alone, extending even to Darth Vader showerheads, is expected to pour $5billion into the Disney coffers. At times, it's been easy to forget that there is actually a film at the heart of all the crazy razzmatazz. But here it is, ten years after the last outing, 2005's disappointing Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and happily, ten times better.

Critics across the world have roundly praised the new Star Wars film, celebrating its 'nostalgic homage' to the original trilogy after a series of disappointing CGI-heavy prequels. The first reviews in newspapers and websites will make happy reading for fans of the space saga, with Episode VII: The Force Awakens coming ten years after the last offering. The Daily Mail's film critic Brian Viner offered four stars, saying: 'Devotees can now lather up with their Yoda-shaped soap under that Darth Vader shower content that in the hands of director and co-writer JJ Abrams, the empire has struck back. 'The Force...

The appearance of a new episode of the Star Wars film series is an important moment for Christian witness. To be sure, we can shrug our shoulders, since Star Wars is old news. Or we can enthusiastically introduce our grandchildren to what we might think is a beloved, harmless yarn. Or we can—and should—discover in the series an occasion to sharpen our presentation of the gospel message and help our children and grandchildren, and anyone else who might be interested, to understand the culture in which they live.In this famous and creative saga, which we must respect for its artistic...

There were “smiling faces” from the crowds exiting the Los Angeles premiere of The Force Awakens on Monday night. Amongst these, presumably, were Disney executives ecstatic that the $4bn they paid George Lucas for franchise rights looks to have been a sound investment. Initial reactions from all three screening rooms where the film was shown for the first time – as well as from social media – suggest that JJ Abrams has the chops to please both critics and fans, and that The Force Awakens may well recoup at least half the $4bn by itself. A journalist for the Hollywood...

One of Ted Cruz’s fans posted a pretty hilarious and clever edit of the first Star Wars trailer from the new movie, and he approved by reposting it from his Twitter account: The Force... it's calling to you. Just let it in and tune in to tonight's #CNNDebate at 8:30 pm ET: https://t.co/5V5nw9bhCX (Video)— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 15, 2015 Watch the whole thing below:Ted Cruz: The Force Awakens (Video)LOL!! I love it!! I’m sure liberals will freak out at the edit of Barack Obama as the “dark side,” but we all know that they’re referring to his socialist, anti-Constutionalist...

The December 18 release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens may be the most anticipated in film history. The film will feature the return of characters not seen onscreen since 1983. Among those will be smuggler and scruffy-looking scoundrel Han Solo, portrayed by the legendary Harrison Ford.Promoting the film in an Australian interview, Ford plotted an odd course toward a different sort of fantasy, climate change hysteria. From ABC News Online: The veteran star of the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises did not mince words when pointing out his disdain for arguments between leaders and countries. "People think...