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By Adriaan Roets

Lifestyle and Entertainment Journalist and Features Writer


The Force Awakens as Star Wars smash SA records

South African cinema chain Ster-Kinekor claims that pre-bookings for Star Wars: The Force Awakens set the record for first day bookings for them.


Worldwide booking for the film, set to be released mid-December, opened October 19.

Bookings opened on Monday and a record number of 2 299 tickets were snapped up. This is the highest number of tickets sold on the first day of bookings’ opening in Ster-Kinekor’s recorded history. Of this total, 1 387 were tickets booked to watch the film’s IMAX 3D release.

Keep in mind that Ster-Kinekor only have five IMAX theatres in South Africa. The previous record for the first day of booking was held by Fifty Shades of Grey earlier this year, with 1 489 bookings.

In the first four days of bookings, from Monday till Thursday a total of 8 678 pre-ticket  were sold. Of these, a whopping 5 508 tickets are IMAX 3D tickets, with a further 2 652 tickets secured to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 3D at Ster-Kinekor cinemas countrywide.

The seventh title in the Star Wars global phenomenon releases at Ster-Kinekor cinemas on Dember 16 – two days before its official global release.

The film is also expected to release at Ster-Kinekor’s sixth IMAX theatre in Eastgate which is currently under construction – right now Ster-Kinekor has their fingers crossed that the cinema will be completed before the December movie rush.

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