I remember the same. I saw it in a packed opening weekend; Tarkin’s was more of a cheer and Leia’s a wave of appreciative murmurs. Overheard only positive remarks exiting the theater.
Sometime after that the imperfection and potential inappropriateness of the technique gained more cultural traction.
It wasn’t until after The Last Jedi was released that Star Wars stopped getting the benefit of the doubt during first viewings, broadly speaking.
I recall discussing it with my family after stepping out of the theatres. I hadn't realized there was anything strange, most of us didn't, but one of my siblings criticized the "bad CGI" at length on the walk home and said they should have hired a look-alike instead.
Sometime after that the imperfection and potential inappropriateness of the technique gained more cultural traction.
It wasn’t until after The Last Jedi was released that Star Wars stopped getting the benefit of the doubt during first viewings, broadly speaking.