Should Star Wars movies be released on May the 4th?

[Ridire Firean]

Hey Gang! I don't know about y'all, but I for one HATE seeing movies in the winter. Especially Star Wars Movies. Without igniting a flame war here, the reason I say this is because I'm terrified of what Episode IX is going to be. Having to come out of The Last Jedi into the gloom of winter was almost unbearable. Sunless, snowcovered vistas, and bitter biting cold, do not a great pick-me-up make. If the movies were released in the summer months, at least there's hope of the sun greeting you as you exit the theater if the movie isn't what you were hoping it would be. Especially if you're a matinee person like I am.

We all know Disney is intent on releasing Star Wars movies in December to help them sell more toys for Christmas, but if they released the movie in the summer, the DVD/Blu-Ray/4k etc's would be ready for Christmas release, so I see it as still being a win for them. Unless the movie bombs of course. Only saw TLJ once, and still haven't bought TLJ in any format. Sorry, I'm just sayin'. O.K. back on track. If the movie is a resounding success, kids of all ages will want to play Star Wars. And what better time to play with your toys than summer? Don't get me wrong, I have a great imagination and can always entertain myself, but it's SO much cooler to fly a speeder bike around a real tree than it is to imagine a torchiere lamp as a redwood. Not to mention it's way less dangerous to bump into a tree than it is to knock over a hot torchiere lamp!

And let's just think about May the 4th for a moment... as a holiday. Valentine's Day is a holiday cooked up to sell more greeting cards and candy and flowers. So, why couldn't Disney, with all its influence, cook up May the 4th as a worldwide holiday. Ya wanna sell Star Wars toys? Make May the 4th a holiday. Think about it, Fourth of July sells more fireworks in a weekend than any other time of the year. Sure, there's still New Year's fireworks, just like there would be Christmas Star Wars toys under the tree. But a Star Wars holiday to sell more toys, videos, replica props, etc. in the summer... GOLD MINE!

So that should take care of the mouse's end, what do you think?

ON WITH THE POLL!

 

[d_jedi1]

uhhhhh
none of the above
I vote for the REAL Star Wars day...
May 25 (or as close to it as possible)
when we look at the legacy films, only ESB didn't release then so it's something of a tradition.
As such... DEFINITELY not December.

 

[DARTH ANIBAL]

1. May 25th is the actual "birthday", but neither date will always fall on a Wednesday or Friday, which is when movies release.

2. Most kids don't play with toys anymore.

 

[robn1]

I don't care when they release, only that they are good.

 

[Richard Baker]

Release them when they are ready- doesn't have to be on a specific date cycle.
I think they just settled on December based on expected film attendence numbers

 

[Solo4114]

On May the 4th? No. That's just a goofy pun.

I'm fine with December releases. I'm fine with May 25th or thereabouts, too. But not May the 4th.

 

[Darth Lars]

History:
ANH: Wednesday, May 25th
ESB: Wednesday, May 21st. May 25th was Sunday that week.
ROTJ: Wednesday, May 25th
TPM: Wednesday, May 19th. May 25 was Tuesday the following week.
AOTC: Thursday, May 16th (at midnight). May 25th was Saturday the following week.
ROTS: Thursday, May 19th (at midnight). May 25th was Wednesday the following week.
Solo: Wednesday, May 23rd in many countries. May 24th in others. Friday, May 25th in USA.

Reasoning:
May 25th: Two instances, when it was a Wednesday
Closest Wednesday before May 25: Three instances.
Queue in line at the cinema on Wednesday, the week before the Wednesday before May 25: Two instances.

I know from experience that if you watch a movie that starts at midnight, then it could be difficult to get home afterwards by commuter train ... and it will be a very sleepy next day.
Therefore, the movie should end preferably before midnight, but not start too early either: people should have time to get to the first show after a normal workday. Because a Star Wars movie should be just over 2 hours long, the time window (at different theatres) should be max two hours to minimise the risk that someone watching it early would spoil the movie for someone watching it late.

My conclusion:
A Star Wars movie should open between 7 PM and 9 PM on: Wednesday, May 25th or on the closest Wednesday before May 25th.

 

[vader45]

If they need a certain date to release it should be May 25th. May the 4th is cool and all but Star Wars day should really be May 25th. The birth of Star Wars.

 

[Apollo]

May 25 should be the day

 

[thegnome]

If they spend a year more in shooting and a year more in edit to make the movies good to watch versus 7&8, so no.

 

[Ron]

Feb. 29th. At this point I think that would be best for everyone.

 

[Treadwell]

uhhhhh
none of the above
I vote for the REAL Star Wars day...
May 25 (or as close to it as possible)
when we look at the legacy films, only ESB didn't release then so it's something of a tradition.
As such... DEFINITELY not December.

Thisthisthisthis

 

[The Terminator]

Option 4: On May 25th or close to it. STAR WARS DAY....
May 4th is just a lame, idiotic pun.

So, MAY as it was. Before the dark times, before Disney.

 

[AJK001]

Even with my birthday being May the 4th I think it should be May 25th or close to it. As many people have said May the 4th is really just a play on May the Force be with you and doesn't really have anything to do with the release of the movies.

 

[niennumb1]

They need to break the mold and stop Thursday/Friday releases and just say, "Screw it, it's gonna be on a Tuesday." Hahah!

 

[Tan Djarka]

I honestly don't care. From a marketing standpoint, December seems the best. A teaser on May 4th, a full trailer at San Diego Comic Con, and release during the best season to sell tie in toys.