Crowds cram area theaters for new Star Wars film

It was the hottest ticket in Belleville Thursday night and kicked off what staff at the Lincoln Theater said was guaranteed to be the biggest weekend release of the year.

Thursday’s premiere of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens marked the return of the iconic saga after a decade-long wait. Young fans and seasoned Star Wars devotees alike stood together in line ahead of the 7 p.m. show, eager to see the likes of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo back in action.

Mike Martin, 44, of O’Fallon was at the front of the line inside the Lincoln’s foyer. He said he’s been a Star Wars fan his whole life.

“I’m most excited because my dad took me to go see the original Star Wars movie back in 1977. It’s the first memory I have,” he said. While the 1977 film is Martin’s favorite, he’ll have plenty of chances to change his mind this weekend. He said he plans to see the film again Friday and a third time Saturday.

By 6:10 p.m., the line to enter for the 7 p.m. show stretched outside the theater and west along Main Street and then north along High Street. As a horse-drawn trolley passed the que, riders waved and said “May the Force be with you.”

Under the marquee, Ashley Meints, 28, Nick Dunnebacke, 30, and his son Ethan Dunnebacke, 7, waited. The Dunnebackes each wore Star Wars beanies and T-shirts. Meints rolled her hair into Princess Leia’s iconic buns.

“I was surprised. This was my first time doing (the hairdo) and it only took 20 minutes,” Meints said.

Ethan wasn’t even born the last time a new Star Wars film premiered.

“It’s exciting. We had our own movie marathon of Star Wars. We watched the last one last night. We’re all kind of hyped up,” Meints said.

At the Wehrenberg O’Fallon 15 Cine, staff started the night with plans to show the film on seven screens. They didn’t know exactly how many people to expect on opening night, but said plans were in place to open additional screens if needed.

Area theaters also encouraged attendees to wear cloaks and costumes, but masks and facepaint were prohibited for security reasons, as were blasters and lightsabers.

“It makes sense, just to keep everyone safe,” Meints said of the security precautions.

O’Fallon police planned to have an officer on site at the theater, but Lt. James Cavins said the Star Wars film didn’t prompt the police presence.

“We do that pretty consistently throughout the year,” he said. “We’ve been working out at Wehrenberg most of the weekends for a dozen years. It’s so second-nature for us. We’re out there all the time anyway.”

Belleville Police Detective Sgt. Mark Heffernan said that even though there are more officers on patrol this season in general, no extra officers “specific to Star Wars” were on duty.

The Star Wars saga began with films in the first trilogy released in 1977, 1980 and 1983. It continued with a second trilogy of prequel films released in 1999, 2002 and 2005. The film that premiered Thursday picks up, chronologically, shortly after the 1983 film left off and is part of a third trilogy that includes future releases in 2017 and 2019.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Crowds cram area theaters for new Star Wars film."