The popular fast-food chain, Burger King, spoiled key plot points from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ahead of the film's release. The leaks were specifically aimed at patrons of Burger King locations within Germany. The Rise of Skywalker served as the final installment of the Skywalker Saga, putting an end to Star Wars' longest-running story. J.J. Abrams returned to the franchise to take the helm of Episode IX after directing and co-writing Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
As always, segments of fans participated in sharing leaks aimed at the plot of Rise of Skywalker. In the past, certain sites and subreddits have been made popular by the accuracy of such spoilers. Oddly enough, many of the alleged leaks that stemmed from Abrams's projects ended up coming true. Despite the slew of spoilers making the rounds ahead of Rise of Skywalker, the hype from the general public was still high. Long-time fans were eager to see what Lucasfilm had in store for the end of the epic saga. Unfortunately, the consensus was overwhelmingly negative when it came to the saga's final chapter.
Many Star Wars fans in Germany didn't even need to wait until the release of Rise of Skywalker to be disappointed by the outcome. YouTuber Eckharts Ladder detailed the events of German Burger King's Star Wars stunt a week before the movie debuted to the public. In what the video called "BurgerGate," the fast-food establishment invited customers to read or acknowledge Rise of Skywalker spoilers in exchange for free food. The spoilers were posted in signage all over the restaurant, including the overhead menu, food packaging, and straws. In addition, employees intentionally spilled some Star Wars secrets while conversing with hungry visitors. Among the leaks was the fact that Rey was a Palpatine and the arc of Kylo Ren going to the light side before sacrificing himself. Despite popular belief, this event was not backed by Disney, nor anyone involved with Star Wars.
The Rise of Skywalker Leaks Was A Burger King Marketing Stunt
Not only did Burger King spoil important plot reveals in their own establishments, but the chain's German YouTube channel posted the video so others would see the spoilers. They deemed the event, "The Spoiler Whopper," showing patrons question whether it was worth it or not to get free burgers. A dubbed version (via Reddit) even followed multiple visitors visibly upset by the reveals. In addition to the on-site leaks, the German version of Burger King's app allowed users to obtain special rewards if they agreed to accept spoilers.
While many thought that this was something orchestrated by Disney, that wasn't the case. Burger King created this spoiler initiative on their own with no permission from Disney. The marketing stunt was controversial, but it remains unclear if Burger King truly knew leaks from the upcoming Star Wars movie or if they were going off of popular leaks as a way to mess with patrons. Seeing as a good portion of the leaks wound up being true, it's possible that Burger King thought some of it was fake. It made sense that the chain wanted to cash in on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but it still seemed odd that they would go to those lengths to give out free food at Disney's expense.