The Force was with them

In a three-screen movie theater not far, far away, the Force was at work preparing for Thursday's long anticipated premier of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

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The Force was with them Star Wars saga continues at Springfield Cinema 3 By Allan Stein allans@eagletimes.com Springfield Cinema 3 owner Chad Free, dressed as Star Wars favorite Chewbacca the Wookie, left, his wife and cinema manager Jessica Orchitt, donning an Ewok costu,e and their son Tristan, age 10, appearing as Kylo Ren, get ready for Thrusday's premier of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, flanked by a larger-than-life Darth Vader prop. — ALLAN STEIN Springfield Cinema 3 owner Chad Free, dressed as Star Wars favorite Chewbacca the Wookie, left, his wife and cinema manager Jessica Orchitt, donning an Ewok costu,e and their son Tristan, age 10, appearing as Kylo Ren, get ready for Thrusday's premier of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, flanked by a larger-than-life Darth Vader prop. — ALLAN STEIN SPRINGFIELD — In a three-screen movie theater not far, far away, the Force was at work preparing for Thursday's long anticipated premier of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Springfield Cinema 3 owner Chad Free, standing 6-feet-5-inches tall, arrived for the seventh installment in the main Star Wars series dressed as Chewbacca the Wookie. "This is the big premier. Disney coined it themselves that this is one of the best theaters to see Star Wars," said Free. His wife and movie theater manager Jessica Orchitt, clad in Ewok garb, was busy at the concession counter directing employees who sported X-Wing pilot gear and helmets. "We are very excited. Chad literally has put in many nights here this week with only a couple hours of sleep in between to fully prepare. It's going to be pretty crazy," said Orchitt. Free and Orchitt spared no expense setting up all the familiar Star Wars props, posters and related memorabilia. A tall glass case contained all manner of Star Wars miniatures that included a scaled version of the Millennium Falcon and a Darth Vader helmet. The theater walls were a virtual gallery of Star Wars posters from past episodes. A new agitation propaganda type poster depicting Darth Vader leading the way beckoned viewers to "Enlist Today. He can't do it alone." A holographic image of the Dark Lord flickered and sputtered against a wall in the theater lobby. There was even a menacing Darth Vader prop that stood nearly seven feet high. Orchitt said the family owned theater started selling tickets for the premier of The Force Awakens on the main screen in 3D two months ago. Within days the main theater had been sold out, Orchitt said. "We had people calling in July asking if we would be selling tickets. They were that crazy about it," she said. "Some people don't care for the 3D. They prefer to have the 2D experience. Either way, it's pretty exciting." The main cinema seats 124 patrons and features state-of-the-art surround sound. The two smaller screen cinemas seat 42 and 37 movie-goers. A special "green screen" had been set up in one of the theaters so that Star Wars buffs could have a photo of themselves taken against a Star Wars theme backdrop. Movie showings for Thursday's premier were at 7 and 10 p.m. From 4 to 7 p.m., Stars Wars fans were treated to pre-view festivities with contests for the best costume and "Wookie call." Kelsey Dangelo of Windsor drove in the rain to Springfield Cinema 3 so that she could be among the first to see her favorite Star Wars characters on the silver screen. Star Wars: The Force Awakens features many of the original characters, such as Han Solo and Princess Leia, and a new lightsaber wielding bad guy in the guise of Kylo Ren. "The story is a universal fairy tale in space and you can identify with the characters," said Dangelo.