With just 23 days remaining until Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters, you can surely expect to see more of the new and old heroes and villains from this highly-anticipated adventure in the coming weeks. Today, Empire Magazine has six new collectible covers for their latest issue, which feature Rey (Daisy Ridley) and BB-8, Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) with Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). The issue will be available for purchase starting November 26, and there will be another cover released soon for the subscriber's issue.
As expected, these covers do not feature our long-awaited official first look at Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker. Last week, Famous Monsters of Film magazine unveiled their latest cover, which does showcase an artistic depiction of a bearded Mark Hamill, but we don't know if this is official by any means. We have seen leaked images of Skywalker in the past, but they have not been confirmed, and director J.J. Abrams recently said that the Jedi master is being kept under wraps for a reason.
Luke Skywalker is one of the few main characters who has not been revealed in any of the previously released footage. There have been several rumors regarding Luke Skywalker throughout the past two years, some claiming that he has gone into exile following Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, and others claiming that his original lightsaber, which was found in the desert, sends new heroes Rey and Finn on their heroic journey. Producer Kathleen Kennedy did offer a tantalizing tidbit earlier this month, revealing that Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode IX all revolve around Skywalker's family.
Despite any authentic information regarding Luke Skywalker's plight, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is easily shaping up to be one of the most highly-anticipated movies in recent memory, and it already has box office numbers to back it up. We reported last week that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has sold a staggering $50 million in advanced ticket sales, which is twice as much as the previous record holder, 2012's The Dark Knight Rises. Sources claim that nearly a third of the $50 million pre-sales figure comes from IMAX theaters alone. With box office records already being broken, many wonder if Star Wars: The Force Awakens can break even more during opening weekend.
Some analysts have predicted that Star Wars: The Force Awakens could make more than $300 million domestic in its opening weekend, which would shatter the record of $208.8 million set by Jurassic World earlier this summer. We still have a few more weeks until we know for sure if Star Wars: The Force Awakens will break box office records left and right, but until then, stay tuned for more footage and photos. In the meantime, take a look at these magazine covers featuring the heroes and villains from a galaxy far, far away.
