'Star Wars 9' trailer 3 release date, ticket sales just around the corner

We’re inching closer to the two-month window before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s theatrical release, which means the final trailer should release very soon, likely the same time that preorder tickets will go on sale. And there’s a good chance it all might be tied to other Disney marketing promotions coming up within the next two weeks.

On Tuesday, Lucasfilm creative executive Pablo Hidalgo tweeted that a big marketing push for The Rise of Skywalker will kick off this week, but he later clarified that he’s referring to “magazine covers and interviews and Force Friday”, the latter being the pseudo-holiday when Disney and Lucasfilm announce new toys related to upcoming movie and TV projects. For both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, Force Friday occurred a month earlier in September, so for it to happen in October this time around feels a bit odd.

Is it possible that the next Rise of Skywalker trailer will be released in conjunction with Force Friday? It almost definitely won’t happen on the day itself, but there’s a slim chance that it could happen Monday, October 7 at the absolute earliest.

In early September, I predicted that The Rise of Skywalker tickets might go on sale in early- to mid-October. This was based on the precedents of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi ticket sales opening up with the release of a final trailer during Monday Night Football on Disney-owned networks ABC and/or EPSN. Those events happened on October 19, 2015 and October 9, 2017, respectively. The Rise of Skywalker will be released slightly later in December than previous entries in the sequel trilogy, so if Disney follows a similar promotional schedule, then the trailer release and ticket sales will probably happen either during the October 14 Lions vs. Packers game or, even more likely, during the October 21 Patriots vs. Jets matchup.

One sentimental person on Reddit also noted that October 21 would have been Carrie Fisher’s birthday, which makes this particular date feel even more appropriate.

There’s more evidence to support a date within the next couple weeks: Back in September, someone posted to Reddit claiming to be a projectionist at a movie theater, sharing what appears to be an internal email stating a new Rise of Skywalker trailer would come attached to Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, scheduled for release on October 18, 2019. If this rumor is true, then the trailer will probably premiere during Monday Night Football on October 14, hit YouTube immediately after, and then run later that week during all Maleficent: Mistress of Evil screenings.

It’s also worth pointing out that nomenclature for promotional materials related to major franchise films like The Rise of Skywalker can get very confusing. The original trailer that debuted at Star Wars Celebration in April is labeled a “teaser,” and the footage shown at D23 (at the top of this article), is called a “Special Look.” For most people, whatever comes next will feel like The Rise of Skywalker trailer 3 when in reality, it’s sort of the first real trailer.

That was what Lucasfilm decided to name the trailer for The Last Jedi released in October of that year, so we can expect something similar to happen at one point within the next couple weeks.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be released December 20, 2019.