Times have certainly changed when it comes to movie promotion. Last week, the final trailer for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" aired on ESPN and hit the web simultaneously, for a combined total of 128 million views in 24 hours. And that’s not to mention that it was all anybody could talk about on social media. However, nearly two decades ago, if you wanted to see the first trailer for "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace," you actually had to go the movie theater and buy a ticket for "Meet Joe Black."
Yep, 20th Century Fox attached the trailer for "Star Wars" to the Brad Pitt drama, with many fans paying full admission just to watch the promo. And they loved it. Of course, we now know what a disappointment the prequels wound up being, but the trailers were an event, and as you can see below, audiences were wild with anticipation. Cheering before, after and throughout. If only they knew….
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So, something to bear in mind when it comes to ‘The Force Awakens‘ — a trailer can look great, but the finished product doesn’t always deliver.