The hype around 'Star Wars' is strong - too strong

“Star Wars” is everywhere. Like the Death Star’s tractor beam, there’s no way to escape it.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the latest installment in the multi-billion dollar franchise, opened last week, bringing fans — young and old — to the theaters in droves. Not surprisingly, the film has brought in an estimated $247 million in the United States and at least $358 million worldwide, according to the Hollywood Reporter, beating last summer’s hit “Jurassic World” in both categories.

My social media timelines were filled with friends whose posts were buzzing with their excitement of going to watch the film and reactions of finally seeing it, some going as far as to take pictures of themselves dressed in costumes with their lightsabers, and sitting in the theaters before the screen turned black.

I haven’t seen “The Force Awakens” yet and before you begin chastising me for thinking I’m going to go on a tangent about how I hate “Star Wars,” just know I plan to watch the film — there’s just a laundry list of things I have on my plate before rushing to the theater. I like “Star Wars,” but I can wait to see it.

However, I’ve grown tired of the massive amount of hype surrounding the film, which started months before it hit theaters. I’m not talking about the trailers that introduced us to the new characters or featured a gray-haired Han Solo (Harrison Ford) telling his best friend Chewbacca “We’re home.” That brought a smile to my face.

I’m talking about the oversaturation of “Star Wars” branding in the consumer marketplace, most notably cereal boxes, toys and clothes that flood the stores. Of course Disney, which owns the rights to “Star Wars” is loving this.

In an interview with CNN, Tim Nollen, a senior media analyst for Macquarie Securities, said Disney is estimating making $5 billion in global sales from “Star Wars.” In terms of revenue, the company will take 10 percent of the cut, generating “about $500 million.”

Of course when a big blockbuster movie opens, we see advertisements and merchandise all over the place, but what really gets me is the media attention “Star Wars” is getting in places where we normally wouldn’t see movies or entertainment.

Many sports website — CBS Sports, NFL.com and ESPN to name a few — reran a story from 2013 where artist John Raya created “Star Wars” -inspired football helmets for all 32 NFL football teams.

There’s also a lot of coverage in the backlash that astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is receiving from fans for “debunking the science of ‘Star Wars.”

Then there’s the political realm. Now, I’m not referring to President Obama closing his end-of-the-year briefing by telling reporters he was going to a White House screening of “The Force Awakens,” with Gold Star families who lost loved ones during the Iraq War. That was a beautiful gesture, though I could have done without seeing the two people dressed up as stormtroopers and R2D2 at the press conference.

I’m referring to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s closing statement of “May the Force Be With You” during last week’s Democratic debate.

To show you I’m not just picking on the Democrats, I’m also going to point at Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, who launched a contest on his mobile app where users who earned the most points from Dec. 13-15 could earn free tickets to “The Force Awakens.” The way users earn points on Cruz’s app is by sharing, retweeting or liking his posts on social media or making a contribution to his campaign. If users want to get more points, they can share their friends’ contact information with the app.

If Cruz or Clinton are fans of the “Star Wars” franchise and want to share their love of it like everyone else, that’s fine. They can dress in costume and tweet from the theater. But they shouldn’t try to use “Star Wars” to pander and appeal to voters in hopes of bolstering their campaigns.

I’m sure the hype around “Star Wars” will continue after the holiday season and probably go into spring. And with two more planned sequels on the way — not to mention the standalone films that go beyond the story of Luke Skywalker and his companions — “Star Wars” is here to stay, which is fine.

Again, I like “Star Wars,” but it gets overwhelming. If I had $1 for every “Star Wars” related post, or reference I’ve seen in the last month, I’d have more than enough money to pay off Han Solo’s debt to Jabba the Hutt.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].