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60 million see 'The Force Awakens' trailer online, nearing record

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If there's a bright center to the universe, the new Star Wars movie is pretty close to it.

The movie trailer for the seventh Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, blew up YouTube about as well as the Death Star nuked Alderaan (that's the planet that gets blown up in Star Wars).

Hollywood Reporter estimates that 60 million people watched the trailer online since it released on Nov. 28. At that pace, it's expected to soon become the most watched trailer in YouTube history:

The Force Awakens is the sequel to Return of the Jedi (1983). It features characters and cast members from the original Star Wars trilogy: Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford).

The film is directed by J.J. Abrams, who also directed Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). It opens on Dec. 15, 2015.

See the analysis in this Newsy video:

Gavin Stern is a national digital producer for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on twitter at @GavinStern or email him at gavin.stern@scripps.com.