The Last Jedi doesn't tweet
My first thought on Blade Runner 2049 was during the previews. With two months to go before Star Wars Episode VIII, they're still showing only the one teaser they released back in April or May. I feel like there is almost no marketing being done for this movie. Yes, there are toys and woolen throws and so on, but it's Star Wars - these things will sell with or without an upcoming film, and to be honest, they don't remind me that anything new is on its way.
So why the secrecy? Is it in response to the over-saturation of advertising for previous films, particularly Episodes I and II? Those were so long ago that I don't think a proper comparison can be made. With Episode VII, we got our first teaser just over a year before release, a teaser which was about as spoiler-free as the single one we currently have for December's chapter. By the time the film came out, we'd had several trailers, still didn't know enough for anything to be ruined, and it was all the talk. I don't hear much talk about The Last Jedi from anyone - the studio or the audience. A few days ago I received an e-mail about a premiere night viewing, asking if I wanted to go. And my first response was surprise - I didn't even know what day it was coming out, and I'm an old-school fan.
There's another possible reason why we're getting nothing. It's a common tactic to release a blasting, in-your-face ad campaign when a studio fears a high-budget feature is going to bomb. Throw a few extra million into the pot to get people to buy their tickets before news gets out about how much it reeks. I'm not expecting The Last Jedi to be the best of the series (how could I if I literally know nothing about it other than that all of Carrie Fisher's scenes were finished before she passed?), but this tight-lipped approach to marketing their cash cow is honestly raising my expectations.
So for those of you that don't know (I had to look it up - again, why isn't this information all over the place?), Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens on December 15, which at this point in human history means it opens on December 14, just not at 10 AM.
May the Force be with you. If you don't forget.
