The Force is strong with ‘Star Wars’ fans in Colorado Springs

Fans in Colorado Springs are getting ready for the upcoming movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

“Knowing that people are going to be here, you know, days in advance, you have to plan ahead. It’s just the experience. It’s kind of fun just hanging out and meeting new people,” said Rudy Rodriguez.

The movie premieres Thursday night, but crowds gathered as early as Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s more than just a movie, it’s a part of your life. It’s a culture,” said Sharon Carter.

Movie-goers like Carter lined up at the Cinemark Theater off Powers Boulevard as early as 11 a.m. Wednesday.

“I was 8 when episode 4 came out, so I’ve been with Star Wars since I was little and followed it up all the way till now,” said Carter.

Some fans brought tents so they could stay overnight and not lose their place in line.

“We have a little tent for our dining area. We have a movie watching area and a bedroom,” said Craig Hatcher.

Fans in Colorado Springs are also reacting strong to a “Star Wars” video created by two locals that’s now going viral. The video shows Darth Vader causing havoc around downtown Colorado Springs and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus.

“We just went to the most random and obscure places for this video just to add more humor to it because Darth Vader in public is funny,” said Justin Stuart.

Since it’s posting, it’s gained more than one million views on Facebook and more than 136,000 on YouTube. Watch the video here.

“We had no idea it would get that many views. We just did it for fun. People are sharing it on Facebook and Twitter,” said Andrew Scites.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is a sequel to original films. Nationwide, more than $100 million in advance tickets have sold.