If you're the kind of committed Star Wars fan who was planning an hours-long roundtrip to the nearest of 30 North American theaters showing an 88-second teaser trailer for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" this weekend, you can stand down now.
Lucasfilm confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the trailer would also appear on iTunes on Black Friday, by dropping a tweet to that effect:
The Force is with you on #BlackFriday when #TheForceAwakens teaser hits @iTunesTrailers.— Star Wars (@starwars) November 26, 2014
To which some of those hardcore fans responded with ecstatic praise:
@starwars @iTunesTrailers You've saved me a drive across the state to Miami, so I thank you and my family thanks you!— Jason Surrell (@JasonSurrell) November 26, 2014
While others suggested the company had announced this in reaction to fan pressure. (Spoiler alert: it hadn't, and was planning the iTunes release all along.)
Flinched. RT @starwars: The Force is with you on #BlackFriday when #TheForceAwakens teaser hits @iTunesTrailers.— LeDrew's Brew (@DrewOfOU) November 26, 2014
Of course, not even the best home theater in the world can compete with seeing a trailer for a new Star Wars movie on the big screen for the first time in nearly 10 years. Many fans, this writer included, had already bought their tickets:
“I’m not going to go watch the new Star Wars trailer on the big screen now because it will be online” -something NEVER to be said by me. :)— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) November 26, 2014
I'm not saying I just paid to see an 88-second trailer. I'm saying I got a sudden urge to see "Fury" at 10:25 am on Friday. #starwars— Chris Taylor (@FutureBoy) November 26, 2014
But for any fan allergic to Black Friday crowds, the news comes as a Force-filled blessing.
No time for the trailer's release on iTunes has yet been announced; Mashable has reached out to Lucasfilm to find out.
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