Students, encouraged by 'The Force,' wait hours for movie tickets

Not even the Force could have helped get you in to see Star Wars: Special Edition last weekend.

"Who would go see something else tonight?" Jake Farkas (senior-history) said of the opening night festivities.

Brian Beiler and his friends were the first in line. Working in shifts, they had secured their spot 4 p.m. Thursday and had no intentions of giving it up.

"We're cold, tired and hungry, but it's worth it," said Beiler (senior-biology and secondary education).

The mood was festive, with fans enjoying the phenomenon, despite weather that dipped into single digits overnight and dropped big, wet snowflakes late in the afternoon.

Despite the use of a Mission: Impossible yellow caution tape to corral the line, there was no mistaking that these people were here to see Star Wars. Toy lightsabers glowed, and not ten minutes went by without someone quoting the favorite film. Although there were no Chewbaccas, one woman did dress up as Princess Leia, right down to the hair buns.

Things did get pretty cutthroat at times, though, as people jockeyed for position in line.

Matthew Broody (junior-integrative arts) got a prime spot in line the easy way.

"I actually bribed the first guys in line with a pizza," said Broody, who was one of the first ten people in line.

Beiler admitted that he was an easy mark when Broody offered him the food.

"I was broke, I was hungry," he said. "Never met these guys before, but it was worth it."

Some students though, like Ariane Schwartz (junior-elementary education) and Eric Gruosso (sophomore-communications) came prepared for the pandemonium with folding chairs, ready to wait out the line.

Schwartz was one of the few in line who confessed to never having seen the movie.

"She's not an American," joked Gruosso.

Others took a more enterprising angle on the event.

Matt Zall (sophomore-film and video and business) and Alexander Ballas (sophomore-film and video and business) were one of two student crews that took the opportunity to film the event as a class project.

They were there beginning at 7 a.m., alternately filming and guarding their precious place in line.

When the doors finally opened for ticket sales at 6:30 p.m., 26-and-a-half hours after the line had started forming, there was a quick cheer before the line surged towards the door.

In less than 30 minutes, all the tickets for the 7 p.m. show, 162 seats, had sold out.

Patrick Wakefield (sophomore-marketing) was lucky enough to get tickets for the 9:30 p.m. show.

"I won't let go of (them)," he said after worrying he might not be one of the lucky ones.

When the midnight show sold out a little after 7:30 p.m., 200 or so disappointed people were left in line.

Matt Lynch (freshman-film and video) was the first to be turned away.

"I've been down here since 10 o'clock," he said. "I'm pretty irritated."

Fortunately, despite bad feelings, no one turned to the Dark Side of the Force to get in.