> Did anybody know that peeps were paying 7 dollars to see a movie, and all they did was watch the trailer for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and then walked out of the theater?

I did know that, and I think they are nuts. Not
because they like Star Wars so much but because
seeing the trailer with still six months to wait
for the actual movie will drive them insane. Here
at work all but one of us (and he had mixed
feelings) don't want to see the trailer (1) because
it will make us unbearably anxious, and (2) because
it will spoil some of the visual imagery in the movie.

I trust Lucas not to give away the entire plot in the
trailer (and reports from others who have seen it
confirm that the trailer doesn't), but even so,
mere visual images that don't give away plot on
their own can still hurt the first-time viewing
experience.

Anyway, a couple people here have caught the trailer
on TV by accident, and now they're all revved up
for it. I haven't seen it yet. I hope I have the
will power to shut my eyes and ears if it runs in
front of a movie I see in the theater before May.