Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens trailer to premiere on Friday
THOUSANDS of people are expected to buy tickets to the cinema this Friday — and leave before the movie even starts. Why?
IT’S been a long time between hits for Star Wars addicts.
The last was in 2005, when the final part of the “prequel trilogy”, Revenge of the Sith, debuted on cinema screens.
EXCITEMENT: Seven things to expect from Star Wars
SNEAK PEEK: JJ Abrams, live from Tatooine
EARLIER: Disney ditches the ‘expanded universe’
Of course, there’s been plenty to keep the tragics excited in the meantime: a welter of animated cartoons, comics and spin-off books, and enough bad fanfic to fill a spacecruiser.
But this Friday, American fans will get their first taste of an all-new adventure in that galaxy far, far away.
JJ Abrams, who is directing the first of the rebooted Star Wars films, Episode 7: The Force Awakens, shared the announcement of the trailer for the new film on social media.
The message gives little away, although it specifies the trailer will be 88 seconds in length, and features a cute drawing of one of the Empire’s feared “TIE fighter” spaceships blowing something up.
THANKSGIVING pic.twitter.com/46811BgWiF
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) November 24, 2014The message was retweeted 4380 times within 24 hours — a clear sign of the buzz surrounding the new film.
Fans have been treated to a steady drip-feed of information about the new film, with Abrams releasing videos from the set including creatures and props that will feature on screen.
The trailer will be paired with the new DreamWorks animation Penguins of Madagascar, prompting at least one fan to predict that fans will pay for a ticket — and leave before the film starts.
The writer, Ross Miller, also complained that releasing the trailer in cinemas rather than online is “a weird misstep” for Disney.
“By trying to use age-old promotional tactics, it’s alienating a rather dedicated following, and more importantly, it’s a slap in the face to those who care the most,” Miller wrote.
The trailer will hit the web soon after its premiere after fans covertly film it in the cinema, he predicted.
Explosive trailer revealed for intense movie
There’s a literal explosion and a game of cat-and-mouse between a revolutionary figure and the FBI plot to take him down. And it’s also a true story.
Russell Crowe is unhinged in new trailer
Russell Crowe is not someone to be trifled with in his new psychological thriller, to be released in only a few weeks.
Trailer drops for sweeping new epic movie
Based on Tim Winton’s acclaimed novel, Dirt Music features breathtaking landscapes and, maybe controversially, an American and a Scot playing Australians.