Star Wars has our number and Lucasfilm knows it. Fans of the franchise have long since proved we will stand outside for days – sometimes weeks – for a new movie. We”ll get into a bidding war on eBay over a rare piece of merchandise. We”ll even funnel our paychecks into the digital ether in return for intangible trading cards. And we do it all with a smile.
So it shouldn”t come as a surprise that Lucasfilm would choose to once again test our faith dedication with a trial of endurance. As most of you know, Force Friday is nearly upon us. At midnight on Friday, September 4th, the new “Star Wars The Force Awakens” toys will be on shelves across the world. For collectors it feels akin to Black Friday only with 100% more movie spoilers.
To celebrate – and build hype to a feverish crescendo – Lucasfilm announced today they will benevolently unveil the highlights of the new toy line ahead of time in a live unboxing ceremony on their YouTube channel on September 3rd. An EIGHTEEN HOUR livestream spanning 15 cities and 12 countries.
September 3rd is a Thursday, Lucasfilm! People have to work…but we won”t. No. You know where we”ll be. Bleary-eyed in front of a softly glowing screen, dutifully taking screenshots and notes and doing mental math gymnastics to figure out how long we can sustain ourselves on ramen alone next month. If you plan to watch live, the unboxing begins in Sydney Australia at 7:45AM local time – which is 5:45PM EDT on Wednesday, September 2nd. The event will then move around the world until the grand finale in San Francisco at 8:00AM PDT (11AM EDT) on Thursday September 3rd.
Well played, Star Wars. Well played indeed.
Image Credit: Lucasfilm