Twenty years ago this week, The Phantom Menace was released at the crest of the biggest wave of audience hype ever known. It was the first Star Wars film in sixteen years.
In November 1998, an age before universal internet access, fans had paid to see Meet Joe Black, to which the first prequel’s trailer was attached, and left before the feature. At the turn of the year, Lucasfilm announced it wouldn’t be possible advance book for the film, so as to prevent ticket touts. Outcry saw the policy reversed, and mass touting, with advance tickets going for $100 plus.
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