Devoted "Star Wars" Fans Catch First Showings Of "The Last Jedi"
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Force is strong with many North Texans on Friday morning after they watched the latest "Star Wars" movie on Thursday night. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" picks up the story of Rey, Finn, Poe, BB-8 and Kylo Ren that first started two years ago with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
This latest episode finds Rey training with Luke Skywalker to master her Jedi skills.
Fans stayed up late -- or woke up early -- to catch the first showings at the NorthPark Center, and other movie theaters across the Metroplex, on Thursday night and into early Friday morning. They were happy to start the day with popcorn for breakfast if that meant being among the first to experience the newest chapter of the "Star Wars" saga.
People around the world have been waiting in anticipation of the film's release. Some fans waited in lines and even sacrificed sleep to make sure that they saw "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" on the big screen on opening night. Showings ran throughout the night at the NorthPark Center.
Theaters are expected to be busy all weekend long. Thursday night's showings alone brought in $45 million at the box office, the second highest Thursday night preview tally ever, behind only "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" which launched with a $57 million opening night in 2015.
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is expected to make roughly $200 million over the weekend from more than 4,000 screens.
The reviews from devoted "Star Wars" fans, so far, have been mostly positive. "The battle scenes were a little more epic in this one," stated Brandon Stone as he left the theater. "They try to get a little more personal with each character. There's a lot more character development."
"It was fun," added Adiel Bargas. "The comedy, the scenery, everything pretty much."
"Everyone had doubts, but definitely go see it," said Karen Rivera. "I'm ready to see it again."
But not everybody was sold on "The Last Jedi" when the movie was over. "Very predictable," said Louis Marroquin.
For some fans, this installment is a painful reminder of an actress who is no longer with us. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" was the final film for Carrie Fisher, who brought the iconic Princess Leia to life on the big screen 40 years ago. Fisher passed away last year, shortly after finishing her work on the movie.
The events of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" will be concluded when the untitled "Star Wars: Episode IX" hits theaters in 2019.