Star Wars VII: Viewers most excited to see return of Harrison Ford (69%)

NEW YORK, May 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- According to the latest YouGov Omnibus survey, news that the next Star Wars movie will feature cast members from the original trilogy has struck a chord. 44% of US adults were already aware of the 2015 release and 49% agree that they would likely watch the film during its release.

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Americans who have seen at least one Star Wars film in the past said that they are interested (50%), intrigued (36%), and excited (28%) about the forthcoming movie.

Forty-two percent did say that they were withholding judgment, however, until after they had seen the movie; the number is even higher at 49% for avid fans (people who have watched all six Star Wars films). 

Harrison Ford and Han Solo are favorites

Americans who stated they were likely to watch the new movie were most excited to see the following original cast members return to the set:

• Harrison Ford (69%)
• Carrie Fisher (50%)
• Mark Hamill (48%)

Asked their favorite character, renegade Han Solo proved to be the most popular:

• Hans Solo (19%)
• Luke Skywalker (13%)
• R2-D2 (12%)

Han Solo was particularly popular with the avid fans at 23%.

Although R2D2 (12%) was more popular as a character than Princess Leia (9%), only 15% of Americans were looking forward to the return of actor Kenny Baker who played him, compared to the 50% of Americans eagerly anticipating the return of Fisher.

Star Wars VII likely better than last trilogy, worse than first trilogy

Star Wars fans agreed that the original trilogy trumped the quality of the second trilogy. When asked about their opinions on the quality of the approaching movie, more fans believed that the new movie would be worse (26%) than any of the movies of the original trilogy, but would be better than the more recent trio (36%). 

Viewership of Popular Films Across Different Age Groups

Star Wars is still one of the rare brands recognizable amongst multiple generations. While fewer Americans ages 18-34 (53%) have seen at least one Star Wars film compared to the over 55s (67%), the series has higher viewership than popular brands such as Superman, Transformers, Lord of the Rings, and X-Men.

For more information and full tables visit: http://research.yougov.com/news/2014/05/14/american-reactions-star-wars-new-film/

Note on Methodology

Total sample size was 1141 adults for fieldwork undertaken between 9th - 12th May 2014, and 1106 adults for fieldwork undertaken between 2nd - 5th May 2014. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).

About YouGov 

YouGov is an international full-service research and consulting company, which has pioneered the use of technology to collect higher quality, in-depth data for companies, governments, and institutions so that they can better serve the people that sustain them.   www.research.yougov.com

Media Contact: Jenny Hall, YouGov, 212 724 3040, [email protected]

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SOURCE YouGov