131 days. 16 hours. 42 minutes. 59 seconds. At the time of this post, that is how long we have until Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens hits theaters. Fans have been waiting for this film for years and I think that the world is ready for this juggernaut. However, it is safe to say that excitement for the film might just be tapering off a bit. With the exception of the Comic-Con panel, the news media circuit has been dominated by Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman, Deadpool, Fantastic Four and Spectre, leaving Star Wars in the dust. We're still pretty far removed from the film's December 18th release date, but shouldn't Disney be doing more to keep the hype train going? And more importantly, when are we going to get a trailer that gives us some sort of clue in regards to the basic story of Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
Now, don't get me wrong- I do not want the whole film spoiled in the trailers. Disney has already sold me with two brilliant, finely crafted teasers that unleashed a massive fan reaction. But if they want the big box office numbers, if they want to come close to The Avengers or Jurassic World or even Avatar, they're going to need to release a trailer that gives audiences an idea of what exactly to expect beyond "Practical Effects!" and "Chewie, we're home." Once again, not knocking what Disney and Lucasfilm have done so far- but there needs to be a bit more. Which begs the question- when will this marketing campaign kick into high gear? And will J.J. Abrams finally crack open the mystery box that has kept The Force Awakens quite well-hidden for the past several years?
I can't possibly answer the second question, but let's go through a brief schedule of Disney's marketing for The Force Awakens in the upcoming weeks. First, J.J. and the team behind the film will host a panel at D23 (Disney's version of Comic-Con) on August 14th, and there is a really good chance that we get some major marketing bits there. Fans want the toys revealed, they want first looks at the characters, and they want a trailer. If I was to take a guess at what will be shown at D23, I would have to imagine that we'll at least get a trailer or TV spot or something with a bit more footage. Character reveals don't make much sense, since the only characters that we have seen nothing from are Lupita Nyong'o's Maz Kanata, Andy Serkis' Supreme Leader Snoke, and Luke Skywalker. And honestly, I think that Disney will hold out on revealing the toys until September 4th, the next big event in the Star Wars marketing blitz.
September 4th has been deemed "Force Friday" by the Lucasfilm camp and it is the date that a large chunk of Star Wars: The Force Awakens products will hit the shelves in major retail stores like Target, Walmart and Toys R Us. Force Friday is a big deal for Star Wars fans, and some of the toys are already leaking on Reddit boards and the like. While Disney and Abrams have remained coy about The Force Awakens thus far, giving us next to nothing to go on, this will be the day that the mystery box cracks open. But only partially. According to many sources, there will be two major toy releases- one in September and one in January, after the movie has already hit theaters. So on Force Friday, you can expect action figures of Kylo Ren, Rey, Finn, Captain Phasma, Han Solo and pretty much everything else that we've seen so far. Just don't expect any spoilers. However, I am fully expecting that we will see a new trailer for The Force Awakens on or by Force Friday. According to that EW report back near Comic-Con, the trailer will hit in the fall, and technically, September counts as fall.
The Force Awakens is already one of the most anticipated movies in history, but Disney definitely needs to make a big push here. I plan on doing another article discussing what we might see in the trailer, rumors from Making Star Wars's Jason Ward, and some other things. But that's an article for a different day. For now, my guess is that we'll be seeing a new trailer on September 4.
Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens is directed by J.J. Abrams and stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Gwendoline Christie, Domnhall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Greg Grunberg, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Warwick Davis and Max von Sydow and will hit theaters on December 18, 2015.
Image Credits: Apple Trailers, Screen Rant
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