As 'The Mandalorian and Grogu" prepare for their close-up, can 'Star Wars' ever feel like a big-screen event again?

(Image credit: Disney / Lucasfilm)

Remember "Meet Joe Black", Brad Pitt's remake of '30s drama "Death Takes a Holiday"? What about Bruce Willis's military drama "The Siege"? Or even Adam Sandler's American football comedy "The Waterboy"? They're rarely talked about now, but for a brief period in fall 1998, these three movies — along with Pixar's "A Bug's Life" — came to unexpected prominence in the lives of "Star Wars" fans.With anticipation for "The Phantom Menace", George Lucas's first big-screen excursion to the Star Wars galaxy in 16 years, comfortably exceeding fever pitch, these films provided an unlikely route back to a galaxy far, far away. Knowing that the first "Episode I" teaser was attached to prints across the States, many "Star Wars" fans bought tickets to these Earth-bound movies, watched a certain red-hot trailer, and then walked out before the feature presentation had even begun.That promo also taught Hollywood — and movie fans around the planet — that the internet could be the place to go to watch preview videos from upcoming releases. The second trailer, released in Apple's QuickTime format a few months later, would be downloaded a million times within 24 hours of its launch.