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Horn also revealed that Disney doesn’t have a finished budget for Abrams’ Star Wars entry, although he estimated it as in a range akin to Marvel Studios’ output. “These large, tentpole kinds of movies, on the expensive side, are in the neighborhood of $175-200 million, that kind of a number,” he said. “Some are more, some are less. We need to give the audience, essentially, a full meal in return for their affection and devotion and love for these properties.”

Although Disney is “the primary driver behind the property” post 2012’s Lucasfilm purchase, Horn underlined that Star Wars creator George Lucas remains “a very valued person” to the franchise, and a consultant on the property moving forward. “Kathy [Kennedy] interacts with him, back and forth, I think,” he said, referring to the current president of Lucasfilm.

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Even Lucas didn’t have the pull to keep the tradition of the movies’ May openings in place, however; Episode VII has a December 2015 release date. That might change in future, Horn admitted. “We may revert,” he said, talking about the possibility of May openings for future Star Wars releases. “It depends on the readiness of the screenplays and where we are.”