Considering that 2015 is looking like one of the biggest movie years in the history of cinema, it's surprising that studios aren't as afraid of 'Star Wars: Episode 7' as they were of 'Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.' Currently 'Episode 7' will open December 18, the same day as 'Warcraft,' and now 'Mission: Impossible 5' has announced that they'll be hitting theaters a week later on Christmas Day.

2015 has already lined up a monster amount of tentpole titles, with ‘The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron,’ ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘The Fantastic Four,’ ‘Batman Vs. Superman,’ ‘Terminator 5,’ ‘Ant-Man,’ and the new James Bond all set to hit that year. But considering that the lowest grossing 'Star Wars' prequel made over $300 million (in unadjusted dollars), it's shocking that no one's acting afraid of 'Episode 7' yet. When 'The Phantom Menace' came out, it was followed by four weeks of counter-programming. That worked out for some of those titles (like 'Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me' and 'Noting Hill'), but after a fifteen year absence from the big screen, no one knew how big a new 'Star Wars' film would be.

Whereas now, it will have only been ten years, and the 'Star Wars' franchise isn't as revered as it once was. There's also the possibility that the rumors surrounding the production of 'Episode 7' are true and the film might get bumped into 2016. And considering studios are now dating pictures before a frame is shot, it's hard to know if any of these dates will hold. Regardless, after 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' we look forward to the return of Tom Cruise and company. 'M:I 5' is now scheduled to be in theaters December 25, 2015.

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