Star Wars fans in Winnipeg 'beyond excited' to see The Force Awakens

Star Wars fans of all ages were beyond excited as they lined up at Winnipeg movie theatres to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Enthusiasts of the Star Wars saga, some of whom came dressed as their favourite characters, gathered at theatres in advance of the first screenings of The Force Awakens on Thursday evening.

• REVIEW | Star Wars: The Force Awakens mixes nostalgia with new heroes
• PHOTOS | The Force is strong amongst Star Wars fans who queued for hours
• Star Wars super-marathon kicks off with force in Toronto

"There's really no level of excitement. Like, I'm beyond excited," said Jonathan Felguerias, who went to one of the first screenings at Silver City Polo Park with his girlfriend, Kylie Shuparski.

"I woke up at, like, five o'clock this morning; couldn't get back to sleep, just thinking about it."

The couple had purchased their tickets weeks in advance. As well, they watched all six previous Star Wars movies earlier on Thursday and showed up at the theatre in costume.

"All the emotions are just bottled up," Shuparski said. "Once those credits hit, it's just like so much things are going to be coming out — tears, I don't know. I'm just so excited."

On Thursday afternoon, tickets in Winnipeg for Star Wars: The Force Awakens were being sold on Kijiji for up to $200 a pair.

Superfans like Jackson Bilash opted to wait in the theatre for hours, with the goal of scoring the best seats in the house.

"I cannot wait. This is something I've been waiting for my entire life. It's going to be epic," said Bilash, whose friends call him an ultimate fan. He was in line for five hours.

"I've seen every Star Wars movie about 1,000 times," he said. "I have about every collectible you can ever have."

Click on the video player above to see what the lineups for Star Wars: The Force Awakens looked like at Silver City Polo Park.