Fans Come Out In Full Force For Highly-Anticipated 'Star Wars' Premiere
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" kicked off back-to-back showings for its opening weekend, and was set to break box office records.
The new installment has already smashed ticket records with a whopping $100 million in pre-sales.
"I said, 'Let me come at 12, a few hours early and make sure I get them,'" Ricky Pagan told CBS2's Lou Young. "For me it's an important movie to watch."
Young traveled up to Yonkers Thursday afternoon to see how local Star Wars fans were preparing for the premiere.
Some fans were dressing up for the occasion.
"Star Wars costumes have been flying off the shelf for the last two weeks. We haven't been able to keep them in stock," Samantha Irons, of Costumes and Beyond, said.
"People who are going to the movie are actually dressing up," Glen Beyus, of Sophia's Costumes, said. "Even children."
But costumed moviegoers were advised to beware: AMC said they would not be allowing masks or face paint in their theaters, so be sure you're costume is appropriate before you head out to the show tonight.
No one was worried about getting a seat in Yonkers, since most of the local theaters were providing opportunities to catch the film Thursday night, Young reported.
The same could not be said for theaters in New York City, where 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported the tickets sold fast and the lines formed early.
So what is about Star Wars that has folks young and old getting ready for the seventh installment?
As CBS2's Jessica Schneider reported, it's as much about the tradition as the story line.
Max Jones, 4, is already a Star Wars super fan.
"My husband has been a long time fan, so he saved all of his toys from when he was little, passed them on to him and showed him all the movies so of course we had to come to the premiere," his mother Norah said.
He was dressed in his costume and waited in line for three hours.
"I think it was a simpler time where something that amazing was more special because you didn't see things like that that much," Michael Meglow said, remembering as a kid being spellbound by the original.
John Werring said the first Star Wars movies were everything he could hope for.
"It was lasers and guns, and it just spoke to me very easily and it never stopped," he said.
Everyone, though, is interested in seeing the new installment while it's still fresh.
Movie spoilers were a big concern for fans, with some going as far as turning off their Internet to make sure they don't accidentally learn the movie's plot twists in advance.
Jim Crocker, the owner of Modern Myths Comics and Games in Mamaroneck, has racks of merchandise for Star Wars collectors and enthusiasts -- but he said fans are finished with the hype and ready for the show.
"We have a blanket no spoiler policy," Crocker said. "When people are having a discussion we go 'guys let's just chill on reviewing any details or talking about the end of the movie because we want to make sure everybody gets a chance to see it.'"
For those who don't want to ditch the Internet, Google Chrome has released a handy app that will block websites or articles that may contain Star Wars spoilers. The app, which can be downloaded on your Chrome browser, will block or blur pages flagged with spoiler information.
