The Duke of York cinema posted on their Twitter feed today that they’ve sold over 1000 tickets to the long-awaited instalment of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Being a fangirl myself, I snagged a ticket to the 00.01 showing on the 17th December AND another to see it again with the husband the following Saturday.
Tickets went on sale 8.00am Monday morning with the Picturehouse website crashing shortly after. Friends of mine were trying from about 8.05am with no luck. There are still seats available for most showings, including the early, super, super, daft-for-it fan showing of 00.01. And where better to see the film in an beautiful building devoted to a superior experience of moving image rather than the stale manufactured environment of the commercial cineplex. Picturehouse have even got into the spirit by naming each of their cinemas after Star Wars locations from the films.
In three days, we’ve sold over 1000 tickets to #StarWars#TheForceAwakens. The force is strong indeed in Brighton! pic.twitter.com/lgQtENwmG0
— Duke of York’s (@DukeofYorks) October 21, 2024
Cast members will also be at the Brighton Film and Comic Con on 7th and 8th November mostly peripheral characters with the exception of Kenny Baker, the actor who played R2D2. Plus Greedo will be there, so you can ask who really shot first.
A family ticket for two adults and two children only costs £21 for one day, so we’re taking our daughters to their very first comic con, surely a milestone in life for all those into films, comics and the world of fantasy and science-fiction. And while we still have to battle the overly commercial wave of Barbie and lifelike baby dolls which cry and wet their nappies, a little of what my husband and I enjoy is creeping in. My eldest stubbornly refuses to watch Star Wars but she will indulge in a bit of Lego Marvel game action with dad.
Our house has a healthy amount of Dr Who memorabilia, on display, as my husband is building a beautiful collection of special edition figures. He received a photo appearance with Colin Baker at the November Film and Comic Con from yours truly for his recent birthday, which the girls gleefully handed to him. Possibly without realising what it truly means for daddy.
I have a lot to thank Star Wars for. The film’s universal appeal meant it wasn’t wholly deemed ‘for boys’, mostly thanks to Princess Leia’s character. My dad did watch Star Trek with us which had groundbreaking female characters but Leia Organa was different; a leader, a revolutionary and smart as hell. Her character and the Star Wars franchise opened me up to a world of science-fiction which girls weren’t particularly encouraged to watch when I was young. And being into film and television genres which are stereotypically aimed at males didn’t become fully ‘hip’ until I hit 6th form - before that, being a geek was for outsiders. But I was lucky that many of my friends from our Catholic Sussex comprehensive were also into Sci-fi (and grunge bands!). We’d come to Brighton to indulge our shopping needs for fangirl material in comic shops and boutiques.
So thanks Star Wars, thanks Brighton. The force is truly alive and will be bursting at the seams this December!
