Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ coming to Starz in September

By

star wars tv series abc achievement in sound mixing the force awakens
Disney
In just two months, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will debut for Starz subscribers. The entertainment company announced on Friday that the big screen hit will be available to stream online and on its mobile app beginning 9 p.m. on Sept. 10. Subscribers will be able to download the movie starting at 11:20 p.m. that same night.

Starz currently offers a streaming and download package for its 2,700-plus shows and movies for $9.00 per month. Star Wars: The Force Awakens joins Starz hits such as Outlander, Power, and the upcoming American Gods, based on Neil Gaiman’s popular novel.

Recommended Videos

“No greater fandom has ever existed than the Star Wars fans, and we are thrilled to be the exclusive home of The Force Awakens,” Chris Albrecht, president and CEO of Starz, said in a release. “We want to make the movie as accessible as the fans’ appetites for what is truly one of the greatest franchises of all time.”

Related

Related: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ finds the sweet spot between new and nostalgic

On its cable and satellite channels, Starz will debut the movie numerous times throughout the day on Sunday, Sept. 11, including replays at 9 p.m. and 11:20 p.m.

Disney released Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the franchise’s reboot, in December last year. The film saw the anticipated reunion of original Star Wars veterans Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, along with Anthony Daniels (the only actor to have appeared in all seven Star Wars films), as well as Peter Mayhew.

Rising stars Daisy Ridley (Rey) and John Boyega (Finn) joined Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) as the next generation of galaxy guardians. J.J. Abrams directed and co-wrote the film, which earned an estimated $2.05 billion worldwide. Two sequels, Episode VIII and Episode IX, are scheduled for release in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

The Force Awakens is the last Disney film that will stream on Starz , since the two companies split ways in 2012 after Netflix snatched a $300 million per year deal. Since Netflix’s deal with Disney didn’t begin until January this year, Starz maintained the streaming rights to the Star Wars film, which was released Dec. 18.

Starz can run the Disney movies it has the rights to through 2017, after which Netflix will then take over rights. In the meantime, the demand for Star Wars should pay off for Starz as the channel finalizes a $4.4 billion merger with Lionsgate this summer.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Harrison Kaminsky
Harrison Kaminsky
Contributor
Harrison’s obsession in the tech space originated in his father’s electronics store in Denville, New Jersey, where he…
The 7 best Star Wars vehicles ever, ranked
lets pick apart little things star wars force awakens teaser trailer 8

The universe of Star Wars is absolutely jam-packed with vehicles. These vehicles are the chief way that the story's characters get from one planet to another, and they're also how people often travel when they're on a planet.

These vehicles serve much more than a simple utilitarian function, though. They're almost characters in and of themselves, and they're also often settings for some of the most important scenes in the history of the franchise. Star Wars simply wouldn't be the same without its many vehicles, so we've decided to rank the seven best.
7. AT-ATs

Read more
All the things we want to see in The Mandalorian season 4
Din Djarin flying while holding onto Grogu.

Lucasfilm and Disney+'s flagship Star Wars series The Mandalorian finished season3 with less fanfare than the first two outings. Overall, the season still earned a generally positive reception, but its comparatively more mixed bag of episodes was tough to ignore.

It certainly didn't suffer from the same intrusive problems as The Book of Boba Fett, and its last two episodes felt like more what fans expected. Even so, the story had more of an identity crisis when it came to its overarching narrative. Couple that with the more episodic stories that didn't use their time wisely, and there are several things fans might hope to see in the inevitable season 4.
A more focused main storyline

Read more
Want to enjoy the Star Wars TV shows more? Watch the cartoons, already!
Ahsoka Tano prepares for battle in an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

I’m pretty nerdy about a lot of things: turntables, vinyl records, barbecue, Game of Thrones, and yes, Star Wars. To a fault, I can be hard to shut up once my string is pulled, and lately, much of my blathering has been focused around a couple of Star Wars TV series -- The Mandalorian and the upcoming Ahsoka, the latter of which I am super-excited for. But I’ve had a few conversations about these shows with friends recently that have been driving me nuts. The latest involved me gushing over a live-action cameo of the animated Star Wars: Rebels series character Zeb Orrelios in season 3, episode 5 of The Mandalorian. My friend exclaimed that he had no idea who Zeb was and that he'd never watched "that cartoon," and here we are.
But a couple of notes before I continue: First, I know that Star Wars: Rebels and its precursor, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, are “cartoons.” Second, I’m aware that I’m a grown man. The point is, I’m often amazed to learn that, for those and other reasons, many people have avoided these excellent animated Star Wars series -- and this is a mistake. Much of what happens in The Clone Wars and Rebels has direct ties to shows such as The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, and especially Ahsoka, as they introduce incredible characters and crucial backstories. Do you need to watch them to know what's going on? No. You don't even need to watch every episode to get a better understanding of the live-action shows: We have great essential episode guides for Clone Wars and Rebels to set you up. But time and again I’ve been rewarded with excitement, a better understanding of characters and plotlines, and a more satisfying cathartic payoff because of watching these "cartoons." Plus, they’re just really good.
And whether you’ve just started watching The Mandalorian or are, like me, waiting eagerly for Ahsoka in August, here are a few good reasons you should take the next few months and get caught up on some of the best cartoons you’ll ever see.
Note: There are Mandalorian spoilers ahead.
Ahsoka Tano gets her due

Making her live-action debut in season 2 of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka Tano began her journey as Anakin Skywalker's tenacious young Padawan, and her adventures throughout seven seasons of the animated Clone Wars made her one of the most exciting and loved Jedi characters in the Star Wars universe. Not only does she endure betrayal through Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader, but her arc connects her to the warrior Mandalorians when she helps Bo-Katan Kryze liberate the planet Mandalore from occupation. The series concludes when Darth Sidious issues Order 66, which triggered the betrayal and extermination of the Jedi, aligning the show with the film Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith.

Read more