Star Wars fans line up to see The Force Awakens 12 days before it hits cinemas

There are 'traditions to be upheld' and anyway, the force is with them

Star Wars: The Force Awakens arrives in cinemas on 17 December (Getty)

More than 100 people have started queuing to see the new Star Wars movie, twelve whole days before it hits cinemas.

The group of hardened super fans began arriving in the courtyard of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood last Saturday in a bid to bag the first tickets for an Imax screening of The Force Awakens on the evening of 17 December.

Of course, this being 2015, they could simply reserve seats online for one of thousands of showings, but that would defeat the point and anyway, the force is with these guys.

One camper, Erik Murillo, spoke to the New York Times to shed some light on the bizarre goings-on. “At night you freeze and in the daytime you cook, but you come for the camaraderie and the chance to be a part of cinematic history,” he said. “Besides, there are traditions to be upheld.”

The Chinese Theater is famous among Star Wars fans, as it was where huge crowds gathered to watch the first film in the franchise on 25 May 1977. Bosses at 20th Century Fox had doubted its box office potential, meaning it only opened in around 30 cinemas.

Ever since, fans have been gathering at the cinema, memorably queuing up six weeks in advance for 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, only to be told that it would not be playing there.

It is a highly organised affair, with a clipboard system for checking in and out and rules insisting that tents are put up by midnight and brought down by 6am each morning. All fans wear name badges and tourists taking photos are encouraged to donate to the Starlight Children’s Foundation charity. There is even a dedicated website, liningup.net.

Extra security has been brought in to manage the crowds this year, with fans warned not to bring light sabers, masks and face paint. One Texas cinema is even running a 16-hour Star Wars marathon, showing all six movies back-to-back with no talking or smart phones allowed.

Think you have what it takes? See you in line.