Theaters doubling down on security for Star Wars: The Force Awakens opening

By Mike Epstein December 17, 2015

Star Wars Alamo Drafthouse theater — Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is coming out tomorrow and, while there is no short of excitement about the release, tensions are running high behind the scenes. Theater operators nationwide have added extra security measures for the opening, according to Deadline, as record ticket sales indicate the premiere may become one of the biggest entertainment events of the year.

With the film opening on 4,134 screens in the U.S. and Star Wars‘ dominant media presence, many theaters have brought in extra security staff for Friday, with some opting to heighten security over the weekend or even through the holiday season.

As one might expect, some theater owners are taking more steps than others, but those investing in security are reportedly hiring 2-3 times the number of guards they would need for a normal weekend. In addition to hiring additional staff, many venues will be checking bags and even using metal-detecting wands on patrons before they enter the theater.

In addition to the sheer number of people, a security expert suggested that the larger-than-average number of attendees in costume also represents a potential security concern.

Theater owners are wary in light of recent mass shootings in San Bernadino, California, Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as the coordinated ISIS attacks in Paris, which targeted an Eagles of Death Metal concert and a soccer match.

While there has been no official threat or warning from federal law enforcement, the National Association of Theater Operators have cited a pair of incidents at movie theaters in the last week as signs of a potential security issue. Two men approached a ticket booth at a southern California theater and asked a series of “suspicious” questions, like “How crowded is it going to be this weekend?” In Tempe, Arizona, two men walked into a theater without tickets and were recording the theater’s interior when they were caught by security.

Bottom line: You may want to get to the theater a little earlier than normal if you’re going to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens when it opens to the public which begins tonight.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Michael is a New York-based tech and culture reporter, and a graduate of Northwestwern University’s Medill School of…

Entertainment

From Prequelists to Reylos, these are the 9 definitive types of Star Wars fans

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Star Wars fans don't get along. The fandom has been called toxic and divided, and many times, it's lived up to that stereotype.

But I, for one, count the diversity of the fanbase as a positive. It's what's led to the wide range of stories, genres, and media types over the years, each generating its own small base of fans. More broadly, these fanbases are created based on your generation and what part of the series you gravitated to first for whatever reason. I hope you'll be able to find yourself among at least one of these waves of Star Wars fans and start to see that there's enough room at the table for us all.
The Original Trilogy Boomers

Entertainment

One year ago, Andor changed Star Wars forever

Cassian Andor looks forward with purpose in Andor episode 3.

When Andor premiered one year ago this week, the general response to its first three episodes, which all dropped on Disney+ at the same time, was … interesting. While everyone seemed to welcome the Rogue One prequel with open arms and positive reviews, some were quick to express their concerns over the show’s pace. On the one hand, it’s not hard to see why. Andor's first three installments essentially serve as both the series' inciting incident and its prologue.

The show’s opening chapters split their time between flashbacks to Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) traumatic childhood on the war-torn planet of Kenari and the present-day fallout of his impulsive decision to kill a pair of Imperial-adjacent officials. It isn’t until the end of Andor’s third episode that his backstory has been fully fleshed out and he’s actually left his adoptive planet of Ferrix with Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), the rebel leader who will jumpstart Cassian’s own radicalization. On paper, that might make it seem very little happens across Andor’s first three episodes.

Entertainment

Did Andor ruin Ahsoka, and maybe the entire Star Wars franchise, by being too good?

Ahsoka Tano holds one of her lightsabers in Ahsoka episode 4.

Disney+’s Ahsoka is a lot of things: A quasi-sequel to Star Wars Rebels, a spinoff of The Mandalorian, a rollicking space adventure. Above all else, though, Ahsoka is a show made by and for Star Wars fans. Created by George Lucas’ chosen protégé, Dave Filoni, the series is overflowing with details, Easter eggs, and characters from past Star Wars films and TV shows — namely, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels. These various references have all been collected in a story that seems designed to serve as the bridge between the Rebels finale and Filoni’s now-announced Star Wars crossover film, which will purportedly close out the New Republic story first introduced in The Mandalorian.

At the center of said story is the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and the Imperial Remnant’s quest to bring him back into the fold. That mission is the driving narrative force of Ahsoka, which pits the show’s heroes against those who wish to find Thrawn and rescue him from his years-long exile in a foreign galaxy. The series is, in other words, a lot less about Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and her personal journey than its title would lead you to believe. In fact, of all of its concerns, Ahsoka’s characters feel increasingly less like its top priority.