Official Info Episode VII to open December 18, 2015

There is definitely something to be said about a reactive audience. I still remember back in 86, seeing Return of the Jedi and the crowd erupting when Luke went nuts and beat down Vader. I don't remember seeing or hearing a reaction like that since in a cinema.

 

New Star Wars coming out this year and I still have no idea what to expect even though I've read some rumors and seen the teaser...

I'm gonna keep it that way. I've been away from the SA forum for a month now and it's been easy.

 

I don't like a noisy audience but I do like a positively responsive energetic one, and I think most of those have been in the few sneak preview showings I've seen: Jurassic Park, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull all had audiences that laughed and oohed and awed at the right stuff.
I don't have the desire to go to a midnight showing of The Force Awakens though. Times have changed.

 

I don't think I could stop myself from a midnight TFA!
Actually, funny story - I missed the midnight showings of Harry Potter 7 and 8. After we missed the 8th movie, my wife asked me "do you think we'll ever see another midnight showing?" I realized we had gotten too old for that sort of thing, and I told her that I couldn't see any movie coming out in the future that I'd care enough about to see at midnight. Then we got the Star Wars news. I'm already preparing the party for the days leading up to it.

 

I haven't been to a midnight screening since ROTS and I can't wait for this time around. The excitement is just awesome. Although I'd imagine that, given recent trends, there'll likely be 8pm or 10pm screenings on Thursday night as well (though a part of me does hope they keep it old school and do only midnight - that's the way to get the real big fans out).

 

Midnight is over and done with, folks. At least in my neck of the woods. Most Blockbusters get Thursday night shows, sometimes two (a 7 PMish and a 10PMish).

It started because of Twilight because the tweens couldn't stay up until midnight so they moved it to 10 PM. And it stuck . So that's the one good thing Twilight did, we can see it earlier!

 

I hate to think that I'm 'too old to see the midnite showing' but the only thing that gives me pause is that stupid incident in Colorado. I'll probably see it relatively early on Friday but I'd LOVE to be part of the Thursday midnite showing. But who will go to those showings, the 'true fans' or just those people who want to say 'I saw it before anyone else?'

 

But that was one incident at one theater... I don't think that inherently makes midnight movies a dangerous place to be per se.

At any rate, I won't be at a midnight showing anyway, because I want my first viewing of TFA to be with my son (who will have just turned 9 at that point).

 

Well, I can foresee midnight because one thing Twilight also did was make marathon screenings nearly mandatory. I know the luxury theater near my house will find a way to show Episodes I-VI before the premiere, and unless they want to start at like 6:00 in the morning, they'll have to at least offer a midnight showing for those viewers. I can't wait!

 

Check out the ads for Jupiter Ascending on right now, sez at the top "Thursday night previews" in small letters and then OPENING FRIDAY in big letters underneath. Every blockbuster does that now, there hasn't been a midnight show in years, all Thursday nite.

 

I think it's way too late in the game for the release date to change significantly - I saw a lot of folks on Twitter suggesting we could see it moved up to this summer. There's just no way. Marketing strategies and plans for a movie this big (which includes a ton of merchandise timed with the release) are made too far in advance for a release date to change significantly 10 months out. Hasbro et al frankly just wouldn't be able to scramble in time to get everything out for the summer. If the date's moved, it'll be to November (Thanksgiving) at the very earliest.

I think this was just JJ quipping to a group of other industry professionals that he was feeling frustrated by leaks and the easy solution would be to move the release date up. I doubt there's anything more to it than that and we'll still need to wait until December 18 to see the thing (much to my chagrin).

I'd love to be wrong, though.

 

Yeah, no way is this release date moving up to the summer.

 

Especially given that we're also learning that they've yet to put together a first cut of the movie. December it is, MAYBE November, but that's about 1% likely.

 

Yeah... I don't think it will move at all from December 18th. I think JJ either didn't say this at all, or he did as a joke in relation to rumors and leaks, which in turn was misunderstood and spread.

 

Exactly.

 

Not buying the rumor. Heavy FX laden blockbusters tend to be the movies they are scrambling to finish just in the nick of time, not movies where they say "wow this was so easy let's release it a couple months early!" Especially considering there were filming delays when Harrison Ford was injured.

My next "I can't wait for..." moment is the release of the teaser poster. I already even have the frame. Was hoping to get it in January but those rumors also turned out to be unfounded.

 

I would be ecstatic if this rumor is true, my life would be complete.

 

Nope...as much as we'd want the movie NOW, I'm still prepared to wait for December.

I must say, even just some X-wings and a lightsaber with one of those 'classic' logos (think of the bracketed "The Empire Strikes Back" with "Star" on top and "Wars" on the bottom) would do it for me. I can totally see JJ doing just this very thing.

 

This movie will have a better box office life and room to breathe after the December release than the summer. I hate the way these things are reported, and in just a couple of weeks after a release the press would have those stupid headlines like "Jurassic World chomps Star Wars" or after "The Force Awakens and is quickly put to sleep" just because an opening weekend gross outdoes its gross for that weekend.