The Mandalorian’s seventh episode will include a preview for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. As fans count down the days until Star Wars 9 opens in theaters, the wait is quite tolerable thanks to the arrival of The Mandalorian on Disney+. The franchise’s first live-action TV show is (so far) delivering on its promise and has won viewers over - thanks in large part to the scene-stealing Baby Yoda, who’s become a viral internet sensation these past few weeks.
While The Mandalorian is generating substantial buzz and interest, Disney hasn’t lost sight of the fact they have a very important Star Wars movie to promote. Rise of Skywalker marketing efforts have heated up recently, with a blitz of new still images, TV spots, and more. With just a couple of weeks remaining until the film’s premiere, the studio’s making sure people remain excited for the holiday season’s most anticipated movie. And, in a classic case of corporate synergy, Disney’s going to use an upcoming episode of The Mandalorian to advertise The Rise of Skywalker.
Disney+ announced The Mandalorian Chapter 7, which debuts on December 18 to avoid conflict with The Rise of Skywalker, features “an exclusive sneak peek” at the movie. No other details are available at this time.
Whatever this sneak peek is, it most likely isn’t going to be anything all that substantial. Disney’s run another one of their patented secretive marketing campaigns for The Rise of Skywalker, keeping just about all of the key plot details under wraps in promotional materials. They aren’t going to change that strategy in the next couple of weeks, when the release date is so close. It wouldn’t be surprising if the special preview was a generic clip from the movie (similar to the “they fly now” scene) or a brief sizzle reel consisting of out-of-context shots. Perhaps there’ll be some new footage, but again, there probably won’t be anything major. After all, most people watching The Mandalorian are likely planning on seeing The Rise of Skywalker opening weekend and don’t need to be sold.
Ideally, the upcoming Rise of Skywalker sneak peek will serve as a final hurrah for the pre-release campaign. The Mandalorian Chapter 7 drops a couple of days after Star Wars 9 holds its world premiere, and word-of-mouth concerning the film will already be circulating. If everything goes according to plan, The Rise of Skywalker will be receiving praise for concluding the saga on a high note, and a special preview on The Mandalorian kicks excitement into overdrive, rather than landing with an uninspiring thud. It would certainly be a shame if The Rise of Skywalker isn’t up to snuff, and Disney’s move to cross-promote backfires.
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Source: Disney+
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Release Date: 2019-12-20
