Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” you might not want to read on.
That 10 seconds of silence in a key scene of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” wasn’t a colossal mistake by director Rian Johnson — and some theaters want to make sure you’re aware of it.
“Please note: ‘The Last Jedi’ contains a sequence at approximately 1 hour and 52 minutes into the movie in which ALL sound stops for about 10 full seconds,” an AMC note to moviegoers reads, according to a Facebook post from comedian Paul Scheer.
“While the images continue to play on the screen you will hear nothing. This is intentionally done by the director for a creative effect,” the company adds.
The theater chain apparently had been fielding complaints from moviegoers who thought that the sound system had gone out during the key scene, which occurs when Rebel Alliance leader Holdo (played by Laura Dern) decides to crash her ship into a First Order destroyer — and sacrifice herself in the process.
But “Star Wars” visual effects artist Ben Morris confirmed that the silent sequence was intentional in an interview with Collider, calling it a daring franchise-first. The plan, according to Morris, went perfectly.
“We had always hoped that would resonate, both as a story beat and as a striking visual, and when I heard all of the cries and gasps in the silence, it was just fantastic,” said Morris. “We realized that it worked. That’s never really happened in ‘Star Wars’ before.”
“The Last Jedi” has raked in more than $400 million domestically at the box office so far.