Star Wars superfans will need the force to survive epic movie marathon
Special showing will have movie-goers glued to their seats for 17 hours
Even those living in a galaxy far, far away know the release of the new Star Wars movie has fans counting the minutes until they can catch the seventh installment of the iconic series on the silver screen.
The Force Awakens is expected to shatter box office records when it hits theatres on Dec.18.
That day, 272 of Edmonton's most dedicated fans will usher in the new film with a movie marathon of epic proportions.
An audience at Cineplex Odeon South Edmonton will get primed for the new movie by watching every Star Wars Film released since 1977.
That's seven movies, totaling more than 17 hours in the theatre.
And though it starts at 4:30 a.m., the special event was sold out within days. Officials with Cineplex say advance ticket sales are the highest in the company's history.
"It's huge. This is the biggest movie release in forever," said Kris Padget of Edmonton, who will be glued to a theatre seat for the marathon.
"A lot of people love Star Wars, and now there's going to be three generations that will have had their own trilogy come out," said Padget, who founded My Fan Girl Life, a "geek lifestyle blog" along with her friends Kristin Glass and Justine Kummer.
The trio plans to take naps during their least favourite Star Wars movies in order to keep their spirits up during the special showing.
And though some movie-goers are expected to get decked out in their best Darth Vader and Princess Leia outfits, these women will opt for comfort in sweatpants and spandex leggings.
"Seventeen hours is a long time to be in costume," Glass said during a Tuesday morning interview with Edmonton AM radio host Mark Connolly.
If you missed out on tickets, don't despair.
Tune in to Edmonton AM on Tuesday, Dec. 17, when CBC Edmonton's resident Star Wars geek Laura Osman will provide live coverage of the movie marathon.