STAR Wars mania has hit the western region in a big way with more than 6000 people expected to see Episode VII: The Force Awakens in the first eight days of its release at Dubbo.
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Reading Cinemas manager Michael Wakelam said the latest saga in the Star Wars series was set to become the movie blockbuster of the year.
"The response has been incredible," he said.
"Enthusiasts eager to be the first to see the new movie have already purchased tickets for special sessions to be held in two cinemas at 12.01am on Thursday.
"If the surge in ticket sales continues we will open a third cinema for the 'midnight' screenings."
From 10am on Thursday, Star Wars will be shown 11 times a day in three cinemas.
On December 26 session times will drop back to eight a day.
"Extra staff have been rostered to cope with the rush," Mr Wakelam said.
"The cinema will be very busy but we don't expect that there will be long queues because multiple sessions will be running simultaneously."
Mr Wakelam expected people who grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy to make up the bulk of the audience at the midnight sessions.
"We have not seen this much interest in a movie for a very long time," he said.
Mr Wakelam described himself as a dedicated Star Wars fan.
He was captivated by Darth Vader, the Jedi knights and Luke Skywalker after seeing the original George Lucas movie in 1977.
"The story mind blowing and I was amazed by the strange creatures and things flying around.
"There are a lot of dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars buffs in Dubbo and the western region and the hype about this latest movie has been through the roof."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow.
The story is set about 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983). It is the first film in the third Star Wars trilogy announced after Disney acquired Lucasfilm in October 2012 for $4.05 billion.
"The epic story is going to be running for years to come," Mr Wakelam said.
"That's great news for people who love Star Wars and younger people discovering all the action and adventure for the first time."
- This story first appeared on the Daily Liberal
