Going head-to-head with Star Wars? The Revenant actor Leonardo DiCaprio really doesn’t mind

If your film was competing financially with one of the biggest cultural milestones of the decade, you might feel a little apprehensive about how well it’ll do. Which is exactly what The Revenant is doing; released on Christmas day in the US, it will be slap bang in the middle of Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ run, and box office prospects are naturally something to be considered, even worried about.

But lead star of The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio, isn’t worried. Not one bit. Speaking with Yahoo! Movies, the actor revealed a curious interest in the close release window of the two movies, and is actually more optimistic than anything:

‘Hopefully, it just means more people are excited to go to the movies… I think that people know this time of year is where a lot of great pieces of art are going to come out. I would never think that we’d be able to compete with Star Wars – that’s something that’s embedded in our cultural DNA. But I think when people begin to hear about this movie, they’ll want to go see it. And that’s all we can hope for.’

A refreshingly level-headed response from Mr. DiCaprio. It’s not really like The Revenant is another sci-fi adventure movie; it’ll serve as a perfect alternative for those not inclined in the ways of the Force (i.e. people not interested in seeing The Force Awakens). Matters of box office revenue are, really, rather insignificant in this circumstance; next year at the Oscars may be a different matter, if the two films go head-to-head for Best Picture.