Star Wars fever to takeover Shropshire

Hollywood has already had one of the biggest movie premieres in its history, at just three screenings in Hollywood last night.

Original stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford are on board as Luke Skywalker, General Leia – she's no longer Princess Leia – and Han Solo, respectively.

The film also welcomes back Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Kenny Baker as R2-D2 and Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca.

Flying in the face of this information age, director and co-writer JJ Abrams has given very few plot details away.

While some plotlines will be around today after last night's screenings, most die-hard fans will have to wait until just after midnight tomorrow night going into Thursday morning.

Cinemas in Telford, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Newtown and Wrexham are among those offering midnight screenings.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has made box office history days before its release, selling more than half a million tickets for its opening week at one cinema chain alone.

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The latest instalment of the sci-fi epic doubled Odeon's previous record of pre-booked tickets set by Spectre, prompting the cinema group to launch its biggest ever logistical operation to cope with the huge crowds.

Demand for tickets was forecast to be so great that handling the surge has required months of planning akin to that seen for the World Cup or Queen's Jubilee, the cinema claimed. The chain plans to hold nearly 5,000 screenings of the blockbuster during its opening weekend.

Duncan Reynolds, managing director of Odeon UK & Ireland, said it is poised for a 24-hour operation and has recruited 500 extra staff nationally, including at its cinemas at Telford and Wrexham.

"We expect it to become the biggest film of all time, and it promises to be a landmark cinematic event," he said.

For those attending those first screenings, here are 13 things we know so far about Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

1) The new generation: Actors Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) are the new kids on the block.

2) Boo, hiss! for the villains: Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Andy Serkis (Supreme Lord Snoke) and Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux) portray the wrongdoers. Ladies and gentlemen, be upstanding for the first major female villain in Star Wars – Gwendoline Christie of Game of Thrones fame plays Captain Phasma.

3) The story: The Force Awakens picks up 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. As any fan knows, Luke had a final showdown with his father, Darth Vader, in that instalment. Han, Leia and Lando Calrissian, played by Billy Dee Williams, led the Rebels to victory as they blew up the Death Star.

4) There is a new planet called Jakku: Desert planet Jakku is where Finn, Rey, and BB-8 are introduced, according to the trailers.

5) The two sides have different names: The Empire is now The First Order, while the Rebel Alliance has become the Resistance.

6) The Stormtroopers have had a makeover: As various promotional material reveals, the helmet looks sleeker and less bulky. Backstory information says the rise of the First Order ushers in "the next chapter in the Stormtrooper's legacy".

7) Rey was abandoned: Rey's family left her on Jakku when she was five. She has no idea why, but the most popular theory is her suspected Skywalker-Solo parentage.

8) Everything about Luke Skywalker is a secret: New characters have been unveiled and trailers are online, but anything to do with Luke is firmly under wraps.

9) John Boyega is playing a Stormtrooper: He can do so because Stormtroopers are only clones in the prequels.

10) Watching the alien: Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o plays Maz Kanata, an alien with eyes that hold mysterious depths.

11) The Millennium Falcon is the same as ever: Han Solo and Chewie are seen piloting the Falcon in the trailer released in China. "C'mon, baby. Don't let me down!" he cries.

12) New robot BB-8 will be a hit: If the movie's trailers are anything to go by, BB-8 (right) will banish painful memories of Jar Jar Binks. This new character is sure to become a favourite with children – and even many adults. He appears to have a mission of some sort, which feels like a nice homage to the original 1977 Star Wars movie.

13) The Millennium Falcon crashes: Fans can see the Falcon crash into a snow bank in the new trailer released in China.

It has been a long time coming, but we will soon find out if this seventh entry lives up to the enormous hype.

The Force has awakened in America – our turn comes tomorrow.