The line awakens: 'Star Wars' fans already queuing up for new movie

 

(CNN)If patience is a necessary quality for a Jedi, fans who have gathered in front of a Hollywood theater in anticipation of Thursday's midnight screening of "The Force Awakens" are surely experts in the ways of the Force.

As early as last Saturday afternoon -- a full 12 days before the event -- diehards from a group aptly called "The Line Awakens" started setting up camp next to the historic Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. A meaningful choice, as this was one of only 30 or so venues across the U.S. that hosted the release of the original film in May 1977.

The gathering is structured according to specific rules: they all have tickets, which makes the effort more academic than practical, and are allowed to leave the line for errands and breaks.

The tents are promptly dismantled each morning, and to top it all off the occasion doubles as a charity event, with money going to the Starlight Children's Foundation.

Most of them, of course, are dressed up as characters from the film, which surely keeps things interesting during the long wait.

At the latest count, according to a Facebook group called LiningUp for Episode VII in Hollywood, 143 people had joined the queue.

"The Force Awakens" will be released in theaters across the U.S. on December 18th.