Disney courts Star Wars fans on the internet and then slaps them in the face, This week, large swaths of Star Wars fans will pay upwards of $15 for a ticket to The Penguins of Madagascar and walk out before the movie even starts. The "world premiere" first trailer for Episode VII: The Force Awakens will debut this Friday at nine theaters in the US — potentially more, but the messaging is clear that this is an offline, ticketed event. If you don't live near one of those theaters, then it sucks to be you. That's the message Disney seems to be conveying here.
It's a weird misstep for the company, which so far has been successful in courting the internet at large. This strategy is ostensibly designed with the fans in mind, but 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.
In Disney's defense, the studio could not have picked a better weekend to pull this stunt. The day after Thanksgiving is a huge moviegoing day for people — and especially families — in the US. There's the last grasp of summer blockbuster (Interstellar, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1), "fun-for-the-whole-family" fare (The Penguins of Madagascar, Big Hero 6), Oscar hopefuls looking to meet that deadline for eligibility (The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, Rosewater), and "other" (Dumb and Dumber To). Demographically-speaking, the Star Wars trailer will hit a pretty good sampling of its audience.
