'' The Force Awakens '' was widely anticipated , and Disney backed the film with extensive marketing campaigns . It premiered in Los Angeles on December 14 , 2015 , before its wide release in the United States on December 18 . The film received critical praise for its screenplay , direction , acting , musical score , visual effects , and action sequences , although it received some criticism for being derivative of the original trilogy . The film broke various box office records and became , unadjusted for inflation , the highest-grossing installment in the franchise , the highest-grossing film in North America , the highest-grossing film of 2015 , and the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time , with a worldwide gross of over $ 2 billion and a net profit of over $ 780 million . It received five nominations at the 88th Academy Awards and four nominations at the 69th British Academy Film Awards , where it won the award for Best Special Visual Effects . It was followed by '' The Last Jedi '' in December 2017 , and will be followed by '' The Rise of Skywalker '' , which is scheduled for release in December 2019
88th Academy Awards
88th Academy Awards
Star Wars: The Force Awakens