Chakeres Theatres Inc. held seven showings of the movie at Cinema 10 on East National Road and Cinema 5 at the Upper Valley Mall, including two showings in 3-D.
Film industry experts are predicting the film will break all box office records, including the $760 million domestic record set by “Avatar” about five years ago, said Springfield-based Chakeres Theatres Inc. CEO Philip Chakeres. He remembers when the original Star Wars premiered in Springfield in 1977.
“As soon as the logo hit the screen, the entire audience broke out into applause,” Chakeres said. “It doesn’t happen like that with every film and that’s what makes this one so special.”
Josh Rhyan, an 11-year-old fifth-grader at Reid Elementary School, was the first in line for the 7 p.m. 3-D feature on Thursday. He purchased tickets for the movie on Nov. 19 — the day they went on sale. He’s most excited for the plethora of new characters.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Rhyan said.
Springfield resident Ryan Baker, 33, was one of the first in line to watch the movie in 3-D.
“I’ve been a huge fan since I was a little boy,” said Baker, who has several Star Wars tattoos, including Yoda and Ahsoka Tona from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated series. “I can’t wait. I’m excited to see how far they follow the story lines for the books.”
The film will likely bring viewers back to the theater more than once, the same way it did in the 1970s and 1980s, Chakeres said, especially with famed director J.J. Abrahams at the helm.
Several showings were expected to sell out on Thursday evening, Chakeres said. He expected large crowds throughout the holidays, especially next week as school children begin their vacation.
“Parents are going to take their kids because they remember what it was like when they went to the initial one,” Chakeres said. “I can’t wait to see the film.”
For the premiere, the theater posted its costume policy, which prohibits masks, hoods or costumes that cover or hide the face, including makeup and costume props, including character-related weapons.
Chakeres wasn’t expecting any issues during Thursday’s premiere.
“The policy is pretty clear,” Chakeres said. “It’s something we haven’t had to address because there hasn’t been an event picture like this one in a while.”
Globally the movie debuted with $14.1 million on Wednesday in its first screenings in 12 markets internationally, including $5.2 million in France. It also set one-day records in both Norway and Sweden, according to the Associated Press.
More than $100 million in tickets were pre-sold in North America. Fandango said it’s sold more tickets to the seventh Star Wars any other movie since it began selling tickets.
For show times at Cinema 10 and Cinema 5, log on to chakerestheatres.com.
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