Austin Abrams in ‘Resident Evil‘
Sony
Entertainment
The Force Does Not Exist in ‘Star Wars’
If you are reading this on the day this publishes, then today is May 4, 2026, aka May the Fourth, aka Star Wars Day. If you are reading this after the day it publishes, it will be another date. Unless it’s now 2027. (If you are reading this in 2027, then congrats, we made it.)
Anyway, May the Fourth is called Star Wars Day because “fourth” kinda, sorta sounds like “Force.” Ah, but what if the Force doesn’t even exist at all in “Star Wars”? There is a strong claim to be made that it does not.
Now, mind you, I am talking about the 1977 movie “Star Wars,” not the all-encompassing franchise that came after that also goes by that title. Of course the Force exists in the Star Wars franchise. By the time “The Phantom Menace” came out, Jedi were basically superheroes with all the powers they have on display. They can push objects with their mind, levitate basically anything, and run at super speed (well, OK, just that one time at the beginning of “The Phantom Menace,” then never again).
But, the first time we see the Force do anything that would qualify as no-doubt-about-it supernatural would be in the opening moments of “The Empire Strikes Back,” when Luke uses the Force to levitate his lightsaber across the Wampa cave.
So, now, on Star Wars Day, let’s go back to 1977. For our purposes, the only Star Wars anything that exists is just the movie “Star Wars,” a few years even before it would be given the chapter title of “A New Hope.” So, as you read this, you have to forget “The Empire Strikes Back” exists. You have to forget “Attack of the Clones” exists. Yes, you even have to forget “The Book of Boba Fett” exists.
And you definitely have to forget the Force exists, at least how it’s perceived now.
In “Star Wars,” the force is basically presented as a religion. Or, as Ben Kenobi puts it, “It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” That’s a nice sentiment, but just saying, “See, it’s everywhere,” isn’t exactly proof that it even exists at all.
Or, as Han Solo puts it, “I’ve flown from one side of the galaxy to the other, I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff, but I’ve never seen anything to make me believe there’s one all-powerful Force controlling everything. There’s no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.”
In “Star Wars,” Han is presented as a savvy, intelligent, world-weary, seen-it-all character. Also, he’s out to make money. If the Force actually existed, he’d find a way for this to be profitable. So how could Han Solo live in a galaxy where the Force exists, yet he’s never seen one example of it being used that convinced him it is real? I mean, in those yet-to-exist other “Star Wars” installments — except for “Andor,” which kind of plays by the rules established in the first film — it’s pretty difficult to avoid the Force.
Let’s go through every single time the Force is (allegedly) used in “Star Wars” and how and why someone like Han Solo could explain all of this (alleged) evidence away.
Also, keep in mind, in the current Star Wars timeline, Han Solo would have been alive during the age of the Jedi Knights and should have seen something. But, with just the movie “Star Wars,” that’s almost certainly not the case.
Anakin was supposed to be Ben’s age. His young pupil was Vader. When the characters were eventually combined (in the first draft of the “The Empire Strikes Back” script they are still separate characters), I think George Lucas had a tough time reconciling how the ages work. For the end of “Return of the Jedi,” he cast Sebastian Shaw as Anakin, who was almost 80 at the time and almost a full decade older than Alec Guinness.
The point is that Han Solo, in his original context, would have never seen Jedi Knights in action.
The first time we see the Force used in “Star Wars” is when Luke, Ben, R2-D2, and C-3PO are entering Mos Eisley. Luke’s speeder is stopped by Stormtroopers and they are questioned. (I do not count “making an animal noise to scare off Tusken Raiders” as a use of the force.) Ben Kenobi does a little hand maneuver and tells the Stormtroopers that these are not the droids they are looking for. The Stormtrooper repeats that these are not the droids they are looking for and tells our heroes to move along.
Look, people have seen hypnotists make people bark like a dog on stage. Plus Ben even mentions the Stormtrooper is weak-minded. So, If I’m Han Solo, I’d say Ben learned some sort of parlor trick using the power of suggestion on a stupid person. Case closed.
The next instance is in the Imperial conference room on the Death Star as blowhard Admiral Motti drones on and on about how wonderful the Death Star will be. Now, keep in mind, in “Star Wars,” Darth Vader isn’t really Darth Vader yet. As stated earlier, in the first draft of the “The Empire Strikes Back” script, Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are still two separate characters. They wouldn’t be combined until the second draft.
So, in the first movie, Vader is just some dude who betrayed Ben, killed Anakin, and now just kind of hangs out at the Death Star to motivate and/or intimidate the military. He has no real rank. He seems to answer to Tarkin, so he’s not in charge … but also he’s seven feet tall, wears a scary mask, and dresses in all black. He is an intimidating man.
When Vader starts to “choke” Motti? Yeah, I’d probably start feeling some stress if this man were mad at me, too. Granted, this is the closest to the Force seeming real in the whole film, but a cynical Han Solo could just surmise that Motti was having a panic attack because a seven-foot-tall man in a scary mask is threatening him.
Also of note, when Vader interrogates Leia on the Death Star, this would be a perfect time to use the force. Instead, Vader uses a torture droid that injects Leia with … something. Why use a torture droid when you are Darth Vader and are a master of using the Force? Maybe it’s because the Force doesn’t exist?
The next time the Force comes into play is on the Millennium Falcon, on the way to Alderaan. Ben has to sit down because he “feels a great disturbance in the Force” around the same time that Alderaan is destroyed by the Death Star. This kind of thing happens to people all the time in our galaxy. People get premonitions that something bad has happened, then it turns out that something bad did happen. Luke then successfully stops two blasts from the training remote while not being able to see. Luckily, Han witnesses this happening and gives us our answer, “I call it luck.”
When the Millennium Falcon is in the Death Star, Vader says, “I sense something. A presence I haven’t felt since…,” then walks off. Again, people have premonitions. Obviously Vader is so confident in the Force telling him that Kenobi is on the ship he immediately commands hundreds of Stormtroopers to search the ship until Kenobi is found.
But that’s not what happens. Vader tells Tarkin, “He is here.” Tarkin basically says, “I don’t believe you.” And that’s that.
When I tell people this theory in person (this happens more than you might think), this is the part people have the most difficult time getting past. As Vader and Kenobi fight, Kenobi tells Vader, “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” In a vacuum, without all the other movies and television shows, this doesn’t automatically mean, “I will become a Force Ghost.” This also can mean Kenobi will become a martyr for the galaxy, the last known Jedi Knight who gave his life to try and fight the evil Darth Vader one last time.
When Kenobi surrenders and Vader swings his blade through Kenobi’s chest, Kenobi disappears. Here’s the thing about what an audience knew about lightsabers in 1977 … nothing. When I first saw “Star Wars,” I just assumed lightsabers could disintegrate a guy kind of like phasers can in “Star Trek.” There were no real rules of what those things did then. Earlier in the film, Kenobi slashes off the arm of a creature who was known then as Walrus Man and is known now as Ponda Baba. And we do see Ponda Baba’s severed arm, but we never see the rest of Ponda Baba. So for all anyone knew then, a direct hit by a lightsaber just vaporized a person.
People seem to interpret Vader stepping on Kenobi’s robes as Vader being surprised this happened. But it could also be interpreted as Vader taking a victory lap, “Ha ha, got him.” Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 all watch Kenobi get vaporized and no one seems surprised. No one says later, “Well, that was weird, where did he go?” Vader never mentions it again either.
The only thing Vader says about it is, “This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Kenobi. It will soon see the end of the Rebellion.” Which seems clear, as far as Vader is concerned, he just hit Kenobi so hard that Kenobi disintegrated.
From this point on, Luke hears Kenobi’s voice a couple of times. He hears Kenobi in the Death Star telling him to run. Then he hears Kenobi tell him to use the Force to blow up the Death Star. Again, in a vacuum, this could just be Luke asking himself what Ben would tell him to do. Or remembering something Ben said. There is no conversation here.
This is in sharp contrast to “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” in which Luke and the ghost of Ben actually have a full conversation with one another. In “Star Wars,” Ben’s presence after he’s killed is still up for interpretation.
Luke turns off his targeting computer and blows up the Death Star. Yes, he went with his gut instincts and his faith in a higher power to achieve this, but that doesn’t mean that higher power exists. And let’s not forget, if Han Solo doesn’t come back at the exact last second, Vader would have destroyed Luke’s X-Wing. Where was The Force there? The Force forget to check Luke’s six.
Look, if I lived in the Star Wars galaxy, and if you add all of these occurrences together, and I witnessed them all, I would probably be trying to convince my friends that the Force is real. But I would have no proof. On their own, not one occurrence of the Force being used in “Star Wars” is proof alone that the Force exists.
When that lightsaber goes flying across the Wampa cave? Yes, that is proof The Force exists. When Yoda lifts Luke’s X-Wing out of a swamp? There’s really no arguing that.
But the entire point of this post is, this raises an interesting thought. What if, after “Star Wars,” the Force remained vague? What would that have looked like?
Actually, it would have looked a lot like “Andor,” a television series most people love. Is that better? I do not have these answers other than Jedi, with seemingly unlimited super powers, can get boring.
On the other hand, without the Force, “May the fourth be with you” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
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The MTV Video Music Awards are back tonight for the 42nd awards show, celebrating the best music videos of the year.
Hosted by 3x VMA winner Snoop Dogg, the ceremony broadcasts live on Sunday night from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with performances from Madonna, Kacey Musgraves, Lisa, Sombr and more.
Madonna leads this year’s nominations with 13 categories, tying Lady Gaga’s 2010 record for most nominations in a year. She’s followed by Taylor Swift (11), Sabrina Carpenter (nine) and Ariana Grande (eight) in earning the most nominations.
Tonight’s awards show will honor Nirvana with the Video Vanguard Award, and Taylor Swift will receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, with her “Patient Zero” music video from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore making its world premiere during the simulcast.
This years MTV VMA performances will include tributes to Dolly Parton and George Michael, marking 40 years since his solo debut album Faith.
With all this and more expected for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, read on for how to watch or stream the awards show.
How Can I Watch The 2026 VMAs?
The 2026 VMAs will air live from on Sunday, Sept. 27 from 7:30-9:30pm ET/4:30-6:30pm PT on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ (Premium) in the US. The show will be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.
Who Is Presenting At The 2026 VMAs?
The VMA presenters include some of this years nominees and winners of VMAs past, as well as a survivor, a superhero, a scream queen and a Saturday Night Live alum.
The lineup features Alex Warren, Belmont Cameli, Brandon Sklenar, Charli xcx, Ciara Miller, David Corenswet, Ella Bright, Isabel May, Jeff Probst, Rachel Dratch, Teyana Taylor, Troye Sivan and Tyla.
Who Is Performing At The 2026 VMAs?
Returning to the VMAs stage for her first performance there in 23 years, Madonna will open the awards show with some songs from Confessions II, presented by Spotify.
Following Dolly Parton’s death at age 80 last month, Kacey Musgraves will perform a tribute to the Queen of Country. Meanwhile, Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims will team up for a tribute performance directed by Adam Blackstone, celebrating 40 years since the late George Michaels’ career-defining album Faith (1987).
Also performing at the 2026 MTV VMAs are Gener8ion & Yung Lean, Lisa, Shaboozey & Gunna and Sienna Spiro.
For more info, visit MTV.com.
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What was old at the global box office this weekend was new as Disney/Marvel Studio’s Avengers Endgame: Encore led in an exceptional take for a re-release of $86M WW.
Beamed Andrew Cripps, Disney’s Global Boss of Distribution, “The success of the re-release reiterates that there’s a massive fanbase for this franchise, and the fact that it’s a seven-year old movie on Disney+, it’s an incredible opening.”
Close to 14% of Encore‘s cash came from Imax which made $13.7M off the superhero pic for $4M domestic and $9.7M abroad.
Yes, with a handful of minutes of extra footage of the Russo Brothers’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, Encore was an advertisement for that movie, but one which yielded more bucks to the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe with $35 billion global across 38 titles. After this weekend, the lifetime worldwide take for Avengers: Endgame moves to $2.885B behind Avatar‘s $2.92B and ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s updated global tally of $2.495B.
With $26M stateside, that repped the third best start for a re-release behind 1997’s re-issue of Star Wars ($35.9M) and 2011’s The Lion King 3D ($30.2M).
Overseas with $60M, Encore was the second highest foreign debut for a re-release behind Titanic 3D in 2012 at current rates. That James Cameron movie at the height of the 3D crazy did $67M boosted by China.
Avengers: Endgame bowed to No. 1 in China ($13.5M), UK ($5.4M), Mexico ($4.2M), Italy ($2.6M), Brazil ($2.2M), Germany ($2M), Australia, and was the best non-local in Japan ($2.6M) and Spain ($1.7M). Disney estimates that Encore was the highest ever opening weekend for a MPA re-release in UK, Mexico and Brazil as well as Netherlands, Greece, S. Africa, Poland, Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan and all smaller Latin American territories.
Pic was second highest opening ever for a MPA title in Italy, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Argentina.
Other No. 1 openings were Austria, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Bosnia, Croatia, Czechia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan (non-local), Lebanon, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, India (non-local with $2.8M), Indonesia (non-local), Vietnam (non-local), Argentina and all smaller Latin American territories.
The Anthony and Joe Russo directed movie ranked second in Korea in the holiday period of Chuseok holidays (Sept. 24-27) that’s described as the country’s Thanksgiving by sources. The No. 1 pic in Korea was The Assassin in a box office weekend where three local films dominated the top 5.
France did $2.1M, but Paramount’s Heart of the Beast led there with a Brad Pitt wow factor, that David Ayer directed military vet and dog feature seeing $3.8M.
Second place worldwide is a fight between zombies and Pitt. Sony/Constantin’s Resident Evil posted a second frame of $50.3M, $27M of that coming from 65 overseas markets on 12,500+ screens. Cume abroad in both Sony and Constantin territories is $93M with an overall $196.5M WW.
UK, Mexico, and Australia each set franchise records in just the second weekend with market totals of $11.5M ($2.9M weekend), $9.0M ($2.2M weekend), and $5.4M ($1.7M weekend), respectively. France (Metropolitan) earned $1.8M (-39%) for a market take of $5.0M, and Germany (Constantin) grossed $1.5M (-40%) for a local cume of $4.5M cume. Next stops are China on Oct. 5 and Japan on Oct. 9 for the flesh eating beings.
Brad Pitt and Odin in ‘Heart of the Beast’
Paramount Pictures
Heart of the Beast barked up $50.1M WW with $30.1M abroad from 63 markets. As we told you, France was tops, but also New Zealand and this is the ultimate outdoors film for them ($454K including previews from 128 sites. Also big was United Arab Emirates where a lot of yank moviegoers are with $1M, No. 1 at 58 sites. Middle East grossed $2.6M on the pic.
Rest all including previews (except Argentina) were UK (No. 3, $2.7M at 559 locations), Mexico (No. 2, $2.4M), Australia (No. 3 with $1.6M at 307), Spain (No. 3, $1.5M at 326), Italy (No. 3 $1.2M at 370), Japan (No. 4, $1.2M at 344), Germany ($1M, No. 3 at 428 sites), Brazil (No. 4 $925K at 585 locations), Colombia (No. 2 $872K at 210), Netherlands (No. 3 $574K at 116 locations), Taiwan (No. 3 $419K at 90 sites), Poland (No. 3 grossing $407K at 178 locations), India (opened at #5 grossing $392K at 345 locations, Peru (No. 3 $304K at 108 locations), Ukraine (No. 1 $306K at 171 locations), Argentina (No. 3 $292K at 180 locations), Portugal (No. 1 $290K at 48 locations), Hong Kong (No. 4 $285K at 57), and Belgium (No. 3 grossing $276K at 80 locations).
A24’s Primetime with $19.1M stateside, had a limited launch abroad with $1.2M in France, Germany, Austria, India, Taiwan, Baltic’s and Iceland for an overall $20.3M WW. Of that France did $530K and Germany/Austria was $325K. What’s interesting is some distribution sources believe, at least stateside, that Heart of the Beast is going to have a fantastic multiple off that A- CinemaScore, while Primetime is front loaded with a B. I beg to differ as Primetime sells itself when you sit in theater, however, the truth will be in the numbers.
(from front) Raissa (Liza Soberano), Prince Mermahn (Kevin McCann), Raww (Dave Franco) and Jo (H.E.R.) in DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island, directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado.
Universal’s second weekend foreign, first weekend in North America of DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island did $18.4M WW ($5.6M foreign from 34 territories and $12.8M domestic).
Philippines led with No. 1 $1.5M this weekend at 280 locations, well above major tentpoles Super Mario Bros, Despicable Me 4, Zootopia 2 and Minions: The Rise of Gru. It’s the biggest opening of the year for a Universal title there ahead of Odyssey. Spain did $500K at 390 sites for a No. 5 rank. The film has received a strong 7.3 FilmAffinity Score, just below The Wild Robot (7.5) and above Inside Out 2 (7.1) and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (7.0). Italy was also No. 5 bow with $500K at 372. Brazil did $400K, No. 6 at 682. That includes $190K in previews. Israel posted No. 1 with $300K at 70 sites in line with Trolls and above Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, Wish, Hoppers and The Wild Robot. Forgotten Island opens into Sukkot Holidays, which run from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3. Korea bowed to $219K at No. 10 at 550 sites, which includes $117K in previews. The film has received a strong CGV Egg score (96%). Sweden saw $150K at 132 in No. 5, an opening at this level is in line with Elio, Goat and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. Australia held over with $737K in weekend 2 for a $1.8M cume. School holidays are taking place in 50% of the market, with the remaining 50% starting next Monday. Forgotten Island ranks No.4, as the top family film in the market, above Coyote vs. Acme (No.8), PAW Patrol (No.7) and Shaun the Sheep (No.10). Mexico added $300k in weekend dos to reach $1.4M cume. Forgotten Island ranks No.7 in the market.
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Former Disney exec Kevin Mayer, who oversaw his former employer’s 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox, has shared his thoughts on the Paramount-Warner Bros merger.
The pragmatic exec, who has been co-CEO of Blackstone-backed media company Candle Media since 2021, told a panel at the Zurich Summit this weekend that consolidation in the media and entertainment sector was inevitable in a period of declining revenues.
“If we’re going to be intellectually honest about answering this question, you have to also ask yourself, what would happen if the merger didn’t happen,” he said in a response to a question on the merger.
Mayer said the film industry was in a phase of decline with “fewer and fewer” great financial outcomes, and that the status quo of a number of independent studios working with declining revenues no longer made financial sense.
“Their ability to finance, to distribute and to market product is going to start to deteriorate very substantially. It already has, frankly. If we keep the standalone, the status quo, you’re going to have a larger number of very weak companies unable to do much in the future. That’s the future you’ve got to measure this consolidation against, in my opinion, not against some fanciful future where everything is as good as it was five, 10 years ago”.
Mayer said he expected Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison to keep his promises around producing 30 movies a year for at least five years after sealing of the deal.
“I did this once. I negotiated Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox, and I was responsible for integrating those two companies,” he said.
“David Ellison made some promises. I expect he’ll keep them. We have public promises that are that explicit… are very hard to reverse yourselves. I think for a period of time… for five years, he’ll do what he says. He’ll make the movies and he’ll release them theatrically, he’ll do it all.”
Mayer said he felt it was likely that Warner Bros. would continue to operate as a separate entity, based on his own experiences at Disney.
The biggest rub in the deal, he suggested, would be job losses in the industry, even if believed consolidation has “necessary”.
“When you hear these promises of $6 billion in synergies, that’s a euphemism for a lot of layoffs… That’s an extremely difficult thing, obviously, and that’s what I think this merger portends.”
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