This is a Kurtzman production, you're thinking too much.
Jokes aside, there is a lot of things wrong with the events that led to ST 2009. Like you said, the Romulan Empire is a star empire, it's not limited to one planet or one star system. Also they got the science wrong, a star doesn't turn into a supernova in the next minute, there must have been Romulan scientists or simple observers who could've noticed the star changing its status as the centuries went on, so plenty of time to make the preparations to leave the homeworld and find another planet within the Star Empire.
The problem with these hack writers is that they fucked up the main timeline with their pseudo-science and the item from JJ's Mystery Box (the Red Matter). No matter what happens, the destruction of Romulus is canon and that's sad. Now they're using that shitty plot device to talk about muh peaceful refugeelol.9
Have they released any numbers?
Exactly. People are expecting to see TNG again but they should know better, I mean just look at the TNG movies, lol.