H’wood preps for ‘Star Wars’ premiere – Can ‘Force’ become biggest movie ever?

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LOS ANGELES, Dec 13, (AP): Hollywood is preparing for what could be the largest movie premiere in its history on Monday night when the hugely anticipated “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is screened for VIP audiences in three separate theaters amid tight security.

At one of the Hollywood Boulevard location  the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre, where the first “Star Wars” premiered in 1977  fans are already camped out this weekend, eagerly awaiting their turn when the film opens for regular folks next Friday.

One fan, Lavonne Dominguez, wasn’t interested in simply buying a ticket online to see the movie in her local movie theater. She and several friends who drove up from Orange County wanted an out-of-this-world experience.

“I need to see it in an epic place with people who are just as excited about ‘Star Wars’ as me,” said Dominguez, 32, who was among about 150 devotees in line at the Chinese on Friday, occasionally ducking under awnings to avoid a passing shower.

Several fans began holding court outside the theatre last weekend. Many of them previously lined up at the same location to be among the first to see the “Star Wars” prequel films, beginning in 1999. This time, the theater operator is allowing them to camp out on top of the theater’s famous celebrity hand- and footprints, instead of along the sidewalk out front.

The fans must log at least 24 hours in line to gain entry to the theater’s first public showing of the film, but those who spend more time in line will earn preferential seat selection.

“If I didn’t have to go to work, I probably would be here the whole time,” said Dominguez.

It’s unclear just where the group will be when Lucasfilm’s latest “Star Wars” installment has its worldwide premiere on Monday night.

The star-studded event is expected to be one of the largest  and most secretive  Hollywood premieres ever.

On Friday, dozens of workers were busily erecting a mammoth opaque tent lining four blocks of Hollywood Boulevard.

Inside the partially built structure, curious tourists snapped photos of lighting equipment while security personnel drove around in carts with “The Force Awakens” logo on them.

Lucasfilm-owner Disney declined to comment or provide details about the premiere, but it’s expected to take over the TCL Chinese Theatre, as well as the nearby El Capitan Theatre and the adjacent Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscars.

An invitation sent to members of the media Friday afternoon requested that they withhold from spoiling the film after seeing it for the first time Monday night and dress in “’Star Wars’” chic” attire to the event.

Los Angeles Police Lt. John Jenal said the department is treating the premiere like other marquee events that take place on Hollywood Boulevard, including the Academy Awards. He noted “The Force Awakens” debut is “triple the magnitude of a typical premiere.”

Jenal said extra vehicle patrols and more officers on foot are being assigned to the area, with several streets blocked to traffic. A half-mile stretch of Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and La Brea avenues was closed off beginning Friday.

Special

Beyond the Hollywood premiere, there are several special screening events planned across North America to celebrate the opening of “The Force Awakens.”

In New Orleans, a “Star Wars”-inspired Mardi Gras marching club is organizing a Wednesday night pajama party-marathon screening of the first three “Star Wars” films.

“It will be a big group of folks in pajamas eating popcorn and watching the original trilogy,” said Ryan Ballard, an artist and co-founder of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus.

The 1,000-member group also plans a uniquely New Orleans celebration on Thursday night. Ballard said the Krewe arranged for a private showing for 100 of its officers at a local theater. Afterward, the group will lead a parade of costumed revelers into the French Quarter, accompanied by a brass band playing a medley of “Star Wars” music.

In Kane, Pennsylvania, the Kane Family Drive-in Theater is reopening in the dead of a Northeast winter to show “The Force Awakens.” It marks the first time in the drive-in theater’s 63-year-old history that it will be open during the snowy season.

Riding galaxy-sized expectations, the new “Star Wars” movie opening Friday is setting records for pre-opening ticket sales. But does that mean the movie is destined to be the biggest of all time?

Though several signs point in that direction, the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

The movie is on track to have the biggest December opening ever, topping “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” which took in $85 million in the US and Canada on its opening weekend in December 2012.

Ticket seller Fandango says advance ticket sales for “Star Wars: Episode VII  The Force Awakens” has already topped every other movie and Imax says it has sold double the previous record. Imax receipts account for a third of pre-release sales for this movie.

Whether it bests the biggest grosser of all time  “Avatar,” with $2.8 billion worldwide  depends on word of mouth and whether fans love it enough to watch it multiple times through the new year.

“Star Wars” will have the advantage of having weak competition for months. Marvel’s “Deadpool” doesn’t come out until mid-February, while Warner Bros.’ “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” isn’t out until late March.

“I think it’s going to own January,” said Erik Davis, managing editor of Fandango, one of the nation’s largest online ticket retailers. “I know one guy who has nine tickets to see it in the first week alone. That’s what we’re talking about.”

A single ticket in big cities can cost $25 or more after paying for extras like Imax and 3-D.

Social media activity is also off the charts, according to entertainment news website Moviepilot Inc.

Exactly a month from release, “The Force Awakens” had 405 million trailer and teaser views on Facebook and YouTube. That’s 87 percent more than this summer’s “Jurassic World,” which opened domestically with a record $208.8 million in ticket sales and owns the all-time No. 3 spot with $1.7 billion worldwide. No 2 is “Titanic,” at $2.1 billion.

What’s more, the 178,000 weekly searches for the movie on Google is more than three times as high as “Jurassic World,” which had 51,800 weekly searches a month from release, according to Moviepilot.

“People are searching and craving and demanding content,” Moviepilot CEO Tobi Bauckhage said. “That’s a very strong signal.”

To be sure, December releases tend to be smaller than in the summer, so coming out on top may take a marathon rather than a sprint.

As for the all-time high, one thing “Avatar” had going for it: It rode a wave of consumer interest in 3-D, which costs a few dollars more than regular tickets. That frenzy has largely cooled off. Traditionalists with a nostalgia for the originals might prefer 2-D screenings, especially with director J.J. Abrams’ use of more realistic-looking special effects like puppetry.

The Walt Disney Co., which owns “Star Wars” maker Lucasfilm, declined to comment.

Advance sales don’t always equate to record grosses. The first installment of “The Hunger Games” was the leader in advance sales, but topped out at a worldwide gross of $693 million, not even in the all-time Top 10.

What “The Force Awakens” benefits from, however, is interest that now spans multiple generations. The movie also has a much bigger Chinese box office to tap. “Avatar” pulled down a monstrous $204 million in China through 2010, but the theatrical market there is now at least three times as big.

The big unknown is that no one’s actually seen the movie yet.

It could make the difference between the so-so reaction to the “Star Wars” prequels in Episodes 1 to 3  with heavily parodied characters like Jar Jar Binks and video-game-like action scenes  and the satisfying revival that fans are hoping for.

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