There’s just one week to go before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters! Do you have your tickets yet? A record-breaking amount of pre-sale tickets have already been sold all over the globe in anticipation for the event film. But one group of Star Wars fans have gone as far as camping out in front of the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood… a week early.
The tight-knit group of fans have brought along their sleeping bags, tents and Star Wars pajamas to the location for 20 years (since 1999’s The Phantom Menace) to get ready for the release of another Star Wars movie. They pass the time by playing games, working on Star Wars LEGO sets and raising awareness for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Check out one camper’s update on Twitter. He’s been hanging out in Hollywood for four days and is prepared to wait six more:
It looks like Hollywood Blvd. has turned into the fans’ own living room! The superfans have set up a Death Star rug over handprints of iconic celebrities and are playing a game of Sabacc. Yahoo! News reported that fans have traveled as far as the UK and Japan to meet by the Chinese Theatre. They have even brought portable projectors to watch movies and catch up on the Disney+ series The Mandalorian.
As of Thursday, there are about 20 fans camping out at the spot, and a little over 100 more are expected to join them in the coming days. The stars of The Rise of Skywalker are expected to walk a red carpet close by on Monday when the world premiere takes place. One fan hopes Disney invites the campers into the screening as the studio did back in 2015 when The Force Awakens premiered.
The fans are also camping for a good cause as well. While they sit out on Hollywood Blvd, they also raise awareness and money to the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Their aim is to provide viewing experiences of The Rise of Skywalker for families in need. The campers used to line up six weeks in advance to the first showing of a Star Wars film, but as you can imagine, that’s quite the commitment.
The final stretch of waiting certainly has fans with tons of questions going into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, such as how Ian McDiarmid’s Emperor Palpatine will play into the story, Carrie Fisher’s precious last scenes as Princess Leia, or how the new characters will fit in.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Kelly Marie Tran, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams. J.J. Abrams’ Skywalker Saga conclusion hits theaters on December 20.
