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December the 4th: 'Star Wars' month is here!

Posted Thursday, December 1, 2016 at 4:25 PM Central
Last updated Thursday, December 1, 2016 at 4:27 PM Central

by John Couture

December has quickly become Star Wars month for Disney. The studio is rather known for establishing and maintaining film release trends. For instance, it's no coincidence that Disney has nine of the top ten Thanksgiving weekend releases of all time.

Like clockwork, we know that there will be two (or three) Marvel movies released each year, usually one in Spring, one in Summer and like this year, one in Fall. It's a science and one that they take care in making sure they don't get crazy and start releasing movies randomly.

So, when The Force Awakens opened to record-breaking numbers last December and they moved Episode VIII from May 2017 to December 2017, it seems that a new pattern has been established. With this year's upcoming Rogue One, we will most likely get a new Star Wars film each December until the end of time.

Of course, the one outlier to this theory is 2018's Han Solo film which is still set for a May 25, 2018 release. Of course, the late May release date is a throwback to George Lucas and his preference for that release window.

So, don't be surprised that at some point in the next few weeks when Rogue One proves that last year's Star Wars holiday release performance wasn't a fluke, that Disney quietly moves Han Solo to December 2018. With Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 set for a May 4, 2018 release and Toy Story 4 releasing on June 15, the move to December would actually make a bit of sense to give Disney's films a bit more space to breathe.

Of course, Disney already has its Mary Poppins sequel set for December 2018, but moving it around wouldn't be too much trouble. And voila, December is officially Star Wars month.

  • Speaking of Rogue One, tickets are now officially on sale for the latest Star Wars film. You can check out your favorite online ticket seller or simply head over to StarWars.com. Naturally, they created a new video for the occasion that features some familiar breathing.

  • In conjunction with the release of the new film, Target is releasing special t-shirts under the moniker Force 4 Fashion. They are available exclusively at Target and $5 from each t-shirt's price will be donated to UNICEF. You can check out the t-shirts here.

  • Did we mention that this update would be Rogue One heavy? No? Well, it was pretty much a given, no? Here's a new behind-the-scenes featurette that includes some new footage.

  • You can stream the red carpet premiere of Rogue One from Los Angeles live on December 10. You can check out all of the details in the Star Wars Show episode below.

  • What would a new Star Wars movie be without new game maps for "Star Wars: Battlefront"? Here's a brief trailer from the new "Rogue One: Scarif" game addition.

  • If you check out Rogue One at an AMC IMAX theater, you will get one of three special mini posters. You can find out all of the details here.

    You can see the posters below.

  • Finally today, here's some news about next year's Episode VIII. Many people have speculated that the first look at that film might come as a trailer in front of Rogue One, but it appears that we might have to wait a bit longer for that one. Sources are saying that the first trailer for Episode VIII will come out in early 2017. If I had to guess, I'm thinking Disney will plop it right in front of its big live-action film in March, Beauty and the Beast.

    That would certainly be one way to appeal to the one demographic that Beauty and the Beast might struggle to bring in. If you're looking for a bit of potentially spoilery information on Episode VIII, International Business Times has allegedly gotten confirmation on a single line of dialog between Luke and Rey. If you want to take a ride on the dark side, click on the link above.