The fifth "Star Wars" movie opens around the country shortly after midnight tonight — and that goes for Utah theaters, too. Early birds began queueing up at some locations Wednesday morning, while at the SCERA Showhouse in Orem, the party started a couple of weeks ago.
"This isn't just any movie — this is a 'Star Wars' movie," said Bryan Young, the 21-year-old Orem resident who has the coveted first position in line at the SCERA. "For that, you have to do something really special."
Adding to the drama is the fact that Young and his wife, Amberley, are on pins and needles during the stakeout, awaiting the birth of their first child, due any time now.
"Star Wars" movies are definitely events, for the Youngs and many more fans, as evidenced by the saturation of merchandise and advertising that accompanies each sequel/prequel.
This time around, there isn't quite as much — no fast-food chains, no soda cans, no inflatable furniture. But even if the campaign for "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones" is a tad more low-key, there's still plenty to empty a fan's pocket of disposable income.
General Mills is leading the fray with an "Episode II" corn cereal that features seven different marshmallow figures — Yoda, a "clone trooper," etc. This week's issue of TV Guide features a series of 3-D collectible covers. Hasbro is marketing 52 new "Star Wars" action figures between now and the end of the year, with two dozen in stores now. And among the plethora of "Episode II" books is the hardback novelization of the film's script, which is No. 3 on this week's New York Times best-seller list.
Perhaps "Star Wars" guru George Lucas feels that excessive campaigning isn't necessary. Despite the record-setting box-office earnings of "Spider-Man" over the past two weekends, Hollywood insiders and "Star Wars" fans are confident that the most profitable franchise in film history will remain so. With or without help.
Meanwhile, dozens of die-hard "Star Warriors" are lined up outside the SCERA theater, where they have been sleeping in tents or sleeping bags on the concrete sidewalk, counting down the hours until the first showing of "Attack of the Clones."
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Advance tickets have been available for more than a week through such Web sites as Moviefone.com and Fandango.com, and many locations have already sold out the earliest shows.
The most rabid fans, such as Young and his second-in-line buddy, Elias Pate, 22, have purchased their tickets already, but they remain in line for two reasons: to have their pick of the best seats in the house and to take part in the hoopla that accompanies every new "Star Wars" movie.
In fact, Pate says that those who skip the "movie lineup" are missing out on a crucial part of the experience. "Ticket pre-selling may have reduced our numbers," he said, "but those who are here are just as excited as we were last time."
Pate said that he and Young are both local filmmakers, and they also lined up for weeks in 1999 outside Provo's Wynnsong Theater waiting to see "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace."
With his wife's pregnancy, however, Young is really nervous during this stakeout. (If it's a boy, he and Amberley are planning to name him "Anakin," after the hero . . . of sorts . . . of "Menace" and "Clones.")
"It's a very stressful time," Young said. "I'm hoping that the child will wait until after the movie."
In fact, Young has already had to leave the line twice to take his wife to the hospital, thinking the baby was on the way. "But even 'Star Wars' fans have to have some priorities," Young said with a laugh.
Pate and his wife, Michelle, have two children, and when he was camped out for "Phantom Menace," his wife was pregnant. "We did that three years ago," Michelle said from her home. "This year it's Bryan and Amberley's turn." (Michelle takes their kids to see Dad in line at the SCERA every day for a few hours.)
At first, SCERA officials were uneasy about their new tenants. But the eager moviegoers agreed to sign waivers and pledged to be clean and well-behaved if the SCERA would allow them to camp outside the theater. As of early Wednesday, nearly 70 people had settled in line.
"They've been really great," said April Wetzel, SCERA's vice president of marketing. "They've picked up all their trash, and they've even helped clean up in places where they haven't been. I wish every movie fan was this considerate."
Pate, though, is unsurprised about the stellar behavior. " 'Star Wars' fans are the best," he said. "We're always looking out for others — even when we're extremely excited."
As that excitement reaches a fever pitch, many are wondering it the film's opening will rival that of the summer's current box-office champ, "Spider-Man," which has shattered records during its first two weekends.
"Clones" is opening in fewer venues than "Spider-Man" — 3,000 screens, as compared to 3,615 for the web-slinging blockbuster. But box-office watcher Gitesh Pandya, of Web site BoxOfficeGuru.com, believes that those who are expecting the summer box-office race to be a completely lopsided contest in "Spider-Man's" favor may be in for a surprise.
" 'Star Wars' is a brand name — it's a franchise that people know and love. The film is going to be huge," Pandya said, adding that "no one really believes 'Spider-Man' can keep the top spot in its third weekend against a 'Star Wars' movie.".
The Orem "Star Warriors" are even more confident — and adamant — than the experts about their box-office expectations.
" 'Spider-Man's' going to drop sharply this weekend. I guarantee just about every geek is going to ('Attack of the Clones') this weekend," Young said. "Everyone knows that nothing beats 'Star Wars.' Nothing."
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com