BY DERRIK J. LANG<\/p>\n
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS<\/p>\n
LOS ANGELES <\/strong> \u2014 Hollywood is preparing for what could be the largest movie premiere in its history on Monday night when the hugely anticipated \u201cStar Wars: The Force Awakens\u201d is screened for VIP audiences in three separate theaters amid tight security.<\/p>\n At one of the Hollywood Boulevard location \u2014 the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre, where the first \u201cStar Wars\u201d premiered in 1977 \u2014 fans are already camped out this weekend, eagerly awaiting their turn when the film opens for regular folks next Friday.<\/p>\n One fan, Lavonne Dominguez, wasn\u2019t interested in simply buying a ticket online to see the movie in her local movie theater. She and several friends who drove up from Orange County wanted an out-of-this-world experience.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to see it in an epic place with people who are just as excited about \u2018Star Wars\u2019 as me,\u201d said Dominguez, 32, who was among about 150 devotees in line at the Chinese on Friday, occasionally ducking under awnings to avoid a passing shower.<\/p>\n Several fans began holding court outside the theatre last weekend. Many of them previously lined up at the same location to be among the first to see the \u201cStar Wars\u201d prequel films, beginning in 1999. This time, the theater operator is allowing them to camp out on top of the theater\u2019s famous celebrity hand- and footprints, instead of along the sidewalk out front.<\/p>\n The fans must log at least 24 hours in line to gain entry to the theater\u2019s first public showing of the film, but those who spend more time in line will earn preferential seat selection.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I didn\u2019t have to go to work, I probably would be here the whole time,\u201d said Dominguez.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear just where the group will be when Lucasfilm\u2019s latest \u201cStar Wars\u201d installment has its worldwide premiere on Monday night.<\/p>\n The star-studded event is expected to be one of the largest \u2014 and most secretive \u2014 Hollywood premieres ever.<\/p>\n On Friday, dozens of workers were busily erecting a mammoth opaque tent lining four blocks of Hollywood Boulevard.<\/p>\n Inside the partially built structure, curious tourists snapped photos of lighting equipment while security personnel drove around in carts with \u201cThe Force Awakens\u201d logo on them.<\/p>\n Lucasfilm-owner Disney declined to comment or provide details about the premiere, but it\u2019s expected to take over the TCL Chinese Theatre, as well as the nearby El Capitan Theatre and the adjacent Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscars.<\/p>\n An invitation sent to members of the media Friday afternoon requested that they withhold from spoiling the film after seeing it for the first time Monday night and dress in \u201c\u2019Star Wars\u2019\u201d chic\u201d attire to the event.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Police Lt. John Jenal said the department is treating the premiere like other marquee events that take place on Hollywood Boulevard, including the Academy Awards. He noted \u201cThe Force Awakens\u201d debut is \u201ctriple the magnitude of a typical premiere.\u201d<\/p>\n Jenal said extra vehicle patrols and more officers on foot are being assigned to the area, with several streets blocked to traffic. A half-mile stretch of Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and La Brea avenues was closed off beginning Friday.<\/p>\n Beyond the Hollywood premiere, there are several special screening events planned across North America to celebrate the opening of \u201cThe Force Awakens.\u201d<\/p>\n In New Orleans, a \u201cStar Wars\u201d-inspired Mardi Gras marching club is organizing a Wednesday night pajama party-marathon screening of the first three \u201cStar Wars\u201d films.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be a big group of folks in pajamas eating popcorn and watching the original trilogy,\u201d said Ryan Ballard, an artist and co-founder of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus.<\/p>\n The 1,000-member group also plans a uniquely New Orleans celebration on Thursday night. Ballard said the Krewe arranged for a private showing for 100 of its officers at a local theater. Afterward, the group will lead a parade of costumed revelers into the French Quarter, accompanied by a brass band playing a medley of \u201cStar Wars\u201d music.<\/p>\n The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, is hosting an endurance contest for seven die-hard fans who are hoping The Force will keep them awake. The theater will screen the entire \u201cStar Wars\u201d saga ahead of the debut of \u201cThe Force Awakens.\u201d For those that survive the 16-hour marathon without nodding off, \u201cThe Force Awakens\u201d will then play repeatedly until one fan remains awake. The winner will receive a seven-year movie pass and \u201cStar Wars\u201d swag.<\/p>\n While hundreds of opening-weekend showings have sold out, box-office analysts say there will still be plenty of available theaters to see \u201cThe Force Awakens\u201d beginning Friday without needing to wait in line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BY DERRIK J. LANG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES \u2014 Hollywood is preparing for what could be the largest movie premiere in its history on Monday night when the hugely anticipated \u201cStar Wars: The Force Awakens\u201d is screened for VIP audiences in three separate theaters amid tight security. At one of the Hollywood Boulevard location […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":7,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[74],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-3040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","tag-arts-and-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3040\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3040"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=3040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}