‘Stars Wars’ trailer awakens frenzy and intensifies boycott calls for being 'anti-white'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Poster for the new film, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." "Star Wars". (Disney via AP)
Excitement is rising for a world far, far away.
The newest trailer of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” hit the web Monday night and it was received with wild acclaim by fans.
The 2:35 minute trailer, which premiered during the halftime of Giants/Eagles game Monday night, offered teases into the back stories of the series’ newest characters, like John Boyega’s Finn, a storm trooper questioning his allegiances; Daisy Ridley’s scavenger Rey; and Adam Driver’s Darth Vader-obsessed Kylo Ren.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actor Oscar Isaac, who is of Guatemalan descent, is seen as Poe Dameron yelling at Ren’s hands, and then seen in his X-wing fighter uniform with Finn.
The trailer also gave fans their first look at Carrie Fisher who is reprising her role as Princess Leia. Luke Skywalker, portrayed again by Mark Hamill, has yet to be seen in full in any of the film's advertisements and is suspiciously missing from the official poster, too.
"The Force Awakens" takes place some 30 years after the events in "Return of the Jedi," but the plot for director J.J. Abrams' film has remained shrouded in secrecy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Online ticket sales for the film, out Dec. 18, were supposed to start after the trailer’s release, but started out earlier in the day. They were so abundant that sites like Fandango crashed amid the feverish demand.
Things got back up and running and on Tuesday, Fandango reported that sales had shattered its benchmark, outselling "The Hunger Games" eight times over, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“This is an extraordinary time for the industry, which experienced unprecedented ticketing demand last night for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,'” Fandango said in a statement. “The enthusiasm for this year’s most anticipated movie is out of this world and we expect it to continue all the way to its debut on Dec. 18.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, not everyone is excited about the new installment. Among the celebrations, the hashtag #BoycottStarWarsVII started trending, calling the film “anti-white.”
The social media movement is accusing the film, studio and director of pushing a multicultural agenda and promoting “white genocide,” as one user wrote.
The hashtag appeared Sunday night after it was announced that the trailer would be released the day after, and objected that none of the main protagonists – Ridley, Boyega and Isaac – were white males.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It continued to trend into Monday and Tuesday, especially after other users hijacked the hashtag and used it to call out the bigotry.
Disney, which acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, has been strategically limited in its official marketing of "The Force Awakens" — the first in a new trilogy in the series. "Looper's" Rian Johnson is directing Episode VIII for a May 2017 release and "Jurassic World's" Colin Trevorrow is set for Episode IX for 2019.
Lucasfilm is also working on a series of stand-alone spinoff films set in the world of "Star Wars," like "Rogue One" starring Diego Luna, about the rebels that steal the plans for the Death Star, set for December 2016.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But for now, all eyes are on "The Force Awakens," which is expected to be one of the most successful films of all time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.