I don't know if you've heard, but they're making a new "Star Wars" movie. Several, actually, but the first one coming up is called "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." And after months of speculation, dramatic cast reveals, cryptic messages from director J.J. Abrams, a broken Harrison Ford and leaks – both small and apparently gigantic – it's finally time to see what this thing's going to look like.

Yesterday, Disney announced that a select few theaters across the nation would play the first preview for the guaranteed blockbuster on Friday. And right at the bottom of the list of 30 lucky theaters is the Marcus Majestic Cinema in Brookfield.

Good news, Milwaukee "Star Wars" fans; you'll be able to witness the power of a fully operational 88-second "The Force Awakens" trailer. Bad news, Majestic employees, your Black Friday shift just got a whole lot worse. 

The trailer will be attached to every single showing at the Marcus Majestic beginning Friday and continuing throughout the weekend, so no matter what movie you want to see, 88 seconds of "The Force Awakens" will be there. And I would bet the odds are very unlikely of them offering refunds to those simply buying a ticket for the trailer, so pick your movie wisely. 

It's quite the fanfare, but nothing particularly new for the "Star Wars" franchise. Back in 1998, the trailer for "The Phantom Menace" made its hotly anticipated premiere attached to screenings of "Wing Commander," "Meet Joe Black," "The Siege" and "The Waterboy." Ticket sales instantly improved for all of those movies, and even now, it's the only reason anybody particularly remembers "Wing Commander" or "Meet Joe Black." Well, other than this:

That's brilliant. 

I've generally been handling the new "Star Wars" with cautious optimism and a hefty scoop of cynicism (George Lucas can have that effect on film franchises), but I must admit: This is pretty cool.

Trailers for big movies don't typically make their premieres on the big screen anymore. Nowadays, they're simply released online right away, which, yeah, is fine, but there's something about watching a preview with a silent crowd of people, all sharing in the same moment and growing anticipation. It feels like an event now in a way clicking on a link while sitting on my couch could never achieve. Big movie moments – even short, 88-second ones – deserve the big screen, the collective experience.

In many cases, the preview can be the most memorable part of the movie. I remember the eerie first trailer for "2012" and the ensuing buzz racing through the crowd much more than I remember "Quantum of Solace," the movie it came attached with. And seeing "Transformers" opening night is a side-note to the attached trailer for "Cloverfield" – at the time, still without a name and just called "1-18-08."

Yes, we are basically talking about ads, but in a time when we see most trailers on laptop screens and Super Bowl commercials are seen weeks before the actual Super Bowl, it's kind of cool to have an event that's being treated like an event, complete with gathering people together in front of a big screen at the movie theater. 

It should be exciting, but remember: No matter how good the trailer is, keep your expectations in moderation. After all, "The Phantom Menace" trailer was awesome, and we all know how that turned out. 

UPDATE: According to this Variety article, the new "Star Wars" trailer will also debut on iTunes today. So I guess ignore all that stuff I said about "feeling like a big event" and "understanding the power of the big screen." Lame.