JuicyTalk
The Super Bowl brought a disturbance to the galaxy far, far away with The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s presence. Following reports that Lucasfilm was planning on promoting the movie at the event, expectations arose that this would be the place where a proper, full trailer would be shown. Instead, we got Din Djarin and Grogu riding a sleigh pulled by Tauntauns in The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s Super Bowl ad.
The commercial playfully riffs on recognizable beer ads of the past, which is a fun idea on paper. But with expectations of a TV spot directing you to a full trailer online, The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s Super Bowl trailer confused many. This wasn’t what was wanted, and it only heightened criticisms of how Lucasfilm has handled the film’s marketing campaign.
After a lukewarm (at best) reception to the initial teaser trailer, the film has needed a boost in interest, not more divisiveness. Lucasfilm opting for the short tease using footage likely made directly for the ad seems more confounding. But it makes a lot more sense when the franchise’s marketing strategies under Disney are taken into consideration.
Star Wars Movies’ Marketing Campaigns Have A Specific Schedule
The Mandalorian and Grogu is the sixth Star Wars movie Disney and Lucasfilm have promoted, and there is a pattern that they tend to follow when it comes to releasing trailers. And while there may be some thinking the studios are undermarketing the upcoming film, it’s actually right on schedule.
After Star Wars: The Force Awakens received a year-long campaign as the studios looked to relaunch the franchise nearly a decade after it was last in theaters, they settled into a rhythm of debuting teaser trailers eight months before the theatrical release. That’s what happened with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and, yes, The Mandalorian and Grogu.
The only exception to the pattern besides The Force Awakens is Solo: A Star Wars Story. That was a unique situation where Ron Howard was reshooting the majority of the film while Disney refused to change the date, resulting in the entire marketing campaign taking place within three months.
So if we take The Force Awakens and Solo out of the equation, Disney’s other Star Wars movies become the example for how they’ll handle The Mandalorian‘s big screen adventure. They’ve already followed it to a tee with the teaser’s release, so it would stand to reason the pattern for full trailers would also carry over. In that case, the Super Bowl was never going to be the place it came.
The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Super Bowl Ad Was A Bonus, Not The Norm
It is unusual for Lucasfilm and Disney to promote a new Star Wars movie at the Big Game. Mandalorian & Grogu‘s ad is only the second time they’ve done it, with Solo the only prior example, which had a TV spot teasing the debut teaser trailer coming the following morning.
The reason for Star Wars‘ historical absence at the Super Bowl is tied to the preferred schedule. Rogue One, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker did not have ongoing marketing campaigns at the time of the NFL game happening. That’s due to the standard eight-month window applied to these movies, which all had December releases.
The Mandalorian & Grogu is like Solo in being the only Disney Star Wars movie to come out in May, which moved the timing of everything up, even if the same gaps are used. As a result, seeing Din and Grogu at the Super Bowl is a bonus, something Lucasfilm added to the traditional marketing schedule.
With that in mind, the Super Bowl-specific contents of the ad work a lot better, as Lucasfilm’s head of marketing recently explained. This was never going to be a spot for a full trailer. One was never promised, and it was never likely, no matter how much audiences wanted it. Luckily, that main trailer should be just around the corner.
Star Wars’ Schedule Suggests The Mandalorian & Grogu’s Full Trailer Is Coming Soon
Just as the studios have traditionally dropped teaser trailers for new Star Wars movies eight months before release, they’ve zeroed in on releasing the full trailer six months later. It’s become customary for the official trailer to debut two months ahead of the film’s theatrical release.
Movie (Release Date) | Teaser Release Date | Full Trailer Release Date |
|---|---|---|
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (December 18, 2015) | 385 days before | 60 days before |
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (December 16, 2016) | 253 days before | 127 days before |
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (December 15, 2017) | 245 days before | 67 days before |
Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25, 2018) | 109 days before | 47 days before |
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (December 20, 2019) | 252 days before | 60 days before |
The Mandalorian and Grogu (May 22, 2026) | 242 days before | TBD |
If we apply that schedule to the first Star Wars movie in seven years, then we’re really close to it. The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s full trailer should come in mid-to-late March based on the franchise’s tendencies.
The earliest we could see it based on this data is March 16, while the latest would be April 5. The timing of the first option could be smart as it’d allow the trailer to play in front of showings for the new sci-fi movie Project Hail Mary (releasing March 20) to target adults, as well as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (April 1) to find younger audiences.
So, we should just need to wait about a month longer than some expected to see The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s full trailer. And hopefully, it’s worth the wait so it can unite the fandom, rather than create more division as the Super Bowl ad did.
