Thanks to a prime spot in the pop culture echelon, Disney and Lucasfilm have enjoyed a rare luxury in modern Hollywood movie making – allowing for a restrained approach to pre-release marketing. Even though Star Wars 7 is expected to be one of the biggest ticket sellers of 2015, not to mention all time, would-be viewers have actually seen very little of the final film. One teaser, one full trailer, and one behind-the-scenes featurette account for the majority of currently released footage – with toys, tie-in books, and other products containing only minor hints of what viewers will get when The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18th.
The mix of high anticipation, pre-release fan events (like “Force Friday”), and controlled marketing found a smart balance between nostalgia and hype that has many fans chomping at the bit for new details while also attempting to avoid major spoilers. In other words, fans are primed, excited and ready, for Star Wars 7 to just get here already. Now, a new report suggests that Lucasfilm isn’t going to change that marketing strategy in the months leading up to release – with only one trailer left to unveil.
Thanks to a Screen Crush source we may finally know when that final Force Awakens trailer will be available to view online (and in theaters). The site doesn’t specify the nature of their source, making it hard to determine whether or not the report should be believed; however, if SC is right, fans will be able to see the last full Star Wars 7 trailer Monday (October 19th) as an online release – before the footage screens in theaters with 007’s latest adventure, Spectre, on November 6th.
Without knowing the site’s source fans should take the report with a major grain of salt (for the time being) – given that the source could be anyone from a theater attendant to a Disney executive. That’s a pretty big range, with plenty of room for misinterpretation, speculation, and hearsay to take the place of facts. Many fans might have expected the Star Wars trailer to drop one week (or even two) later, closer to Spectre‘s release, but an online debut two weeks before a theater premiere (attached to another bankable franchise) is certainly possible.
Additionally, with a mid-December release date for Star Wars 7, Disney is running out of major box office draws to market their final trailer. While The Force Awakens is likely to be critic-proof, the type of movie that fans will see regardless of marketing and reviews; yet, it doesn’t hurt to have a great Star Wars trailer playing alongside Spectre and, weeks later, Mockingjay – Part 2.
Furthermore, the report lends credence to a prior, unsubstantiated, rumor suggesting a new trailer would drop alongside ticket pre-sales on October 19th. For that reason, it is sounding as though the trailer debut is part of a bigger marketing event – with multiple sources reporting that movie theater workers have been primed for Star Wars 7 ticket sale pre-orders on that same day. If SC‘s source is accurate, it could be that the final Star Wars trailer is meant to drum-up added awareness for the ticket pre-sale campaign in addition to giving fans one last tease.
According to TheForce.Net, Cinemark jumped the gun with a message indicating that Force Awakens tickets will be available for pre-order on the 19th: “In the next Monday begins the pre-sale of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at #Cinemark! Run before the Stormtroopers end up with all the tickets.” In a bubble, the message could be viewed as a mistake (pulled due to incorrect info); however, combined with rumors that AMC theaters is prepping employees for Force Awakens ticket sales, it’s likely that theater chain management has been informed by Lucasfilm of the October 19th pre-sale – and then Cinemark and AMC began notifying employees (with mixed success in keeping the secret).
Check out Cinemark’s tweet (which has since been pulled) below:
That all said, at this time Lucasfilm has yet to confirm either the trailer or the ticket pre-sale and every single piece of “news” here is hearsay, sourced from undisclosed people, or has since been pulled. As a result, while a lot of pieces are falling into place to suggest a new trailer and ticket pre-sales on October 19th, it’s equally possible that part or all of these rumors stemmed from the initial, and unofficial report from Star Wars 7 News.
As for what we will see in the final Force Awakens trailer, it’s unlikely that Lucasfilm will break from their restrained approach. While characters like Leia and Luke have yet to be heavily featured in marketing, the tease of Han Solo and Chewbacca from trailer 2 suggests that Lucasfilm might finally offer a sneak peek at the Skywalker twins. Still, whereas many final trailers are spoiler-filled info dumps, expect the last Star Wars 7 trailer to walk a fine line between amping up excitement without giving too much away.
October 19th is fast approaching, so expect to find out whether or not these rumors are true very soon. We’ll keep you up to date if, and when, official information drops.
NEXT: Can Star Wars 7 Live Up to the Buzz?
Star Wars: Episode 7 – The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18th, 2015, followed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16th, 2016, Star Wars: Episode 8 on May 26th, 2017, and the Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film on May 25th, 2018. Star Wars: Episode 9 is expected to reach theaters in 2019, followed by the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.
