May the Force Be … Full of Expectations

May the force … of expectations … be with you.

That’s the message we should be sending to JJ Abrams and the Walt Disney Co. as they unleash “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to the world this weekend.

No doubt the film will rake in piles of money, shattering box office records. However, meeting revenue goals and satisfying fan expectations are two very different objectives. It turns out that this is a rare instance in which the expectations of filmmaking don’t matter as much as the hype.

Fans — both diehards and curious newbies — will undoubtedly be tickled when they watch the movie for the first time.

The spectacle of “Star Wars” is enough to ensure everyone goes home happy.

The movie really doesn’t have a chance of living up to the hype, regardless of what uber fans are saying as they leave the theater. Simply put, it can’t and it won’t. History tells us this is true.

The last time fans grabbed their lightsabers and flocked to theaters was around the turn of the millennium, when the prequels to “Star Wars” turned out to be a massive disappointment.

With an all-out marketing assault, “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” is the highest grossing Star Wars film of all time, sans inflation. Even with inflation, the film ranks in the top 20 films of all time, 16 spots below the original and in the same breath as “Jurassic Park” and “The Lion King.” If you speak to hardcore fans, “Phantom Menace” is merely a blip in the franchise’s lore — easily dismissed as the time George Lucas started to lose his way.

Related: Lucas Leaves, Geeks Return

The next two installments, “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith,” made almost $700 million and even more in merchandise sales. All told, the prequels earned George Lucas and company over $1 billion at the box office — and yet, the cultural expectations fell below par.

The back story of Darth Vader was fine and well, but many fans felt defeated when the stories of their heroes — Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo — were overlooked in favor of overused CGI and Jar Jar Binks. For the die-hards, the focus on outrageous effects was undoubtedly an insult.

It was the equivalent of paying a billion dollars for a fireworks show on the Fourth of July and then sent home without barbecue or beer. Fans were hungry for more, and they minced no words in expressing their disappointment.

Enter Disney, Abrams, and a whole new level of expectations. For $4 billion, Disney was able to pry “Star Wars” from George Lucas in 2012, sending hardcore fans into a passionate, albeit skeptical, frenzy.

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With Abrams, who is fresh off the reboot of “Star Trek,” expectations continued to rise. Then the first trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” hit the Internet. Fans cried as Han Solo stated, “Chewie, we’re home” to his longtime furry friend. The marketing machine was in full roar, and expectations shot through the roof.

Disney tied a new trailer and the opening of ticket sales to the NFL’s “Monday Night Football,” leading to a double-digit ratings rise for the Disney-owned ESPN. Movie ticket websites shut down.

In response, fans flocked to theaters to pick up tickets for a movie that wouldn’t be released for another two months.

Related: A Peak for ‘Star Wars’

Since then, the onslaught of marketing plugs has been close to overwhelming. The Internet was ablaze in conspiracy theories as to the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker. Branded merchandise, from snow globes to soup, popped up everywhere.

The expectations are unlike anything cinema and pop culture have ever seen — to the point of it seeming impossible to meet them. Fortunately for Disney and Abrams, they don’t have to. Going into opening night, they’ve already won.

The reason: They’ve finally found a way to satisfy the yearning for a return to the original trilogy.

Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) have returned, and this is a critical shift for younger fans who may never have seen them in a theater before. With the original cast in tow, “Star Wars” feels real again.

It’s taken a while for the stench of the prequels to wear off, but the vision of the original icons wielding light sabers more than 30 years later is an event to behold.

What has been a long, winding, and sometimes-painful road for the fans of “Star Wars” has come full circle now that they have an opportunity to see their heroes on screen. The movie doesn’t have to be good or come close to the unattainable expectations for fans to feel satisfied. The nostalgia alone is enough to turn those old frowns upside down.

When Han Solo spoke to Chewbacca in the first trailer, he spoke not only for his character but also for a legion of fans. They’re home, expectations be damned, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.