Over a million Brits have reserved seats for 'Star Wars'

If you hadn't noticed already, the world is riding a megatsunami of hype over the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- or every nook and cranny of the internet is, at least. The movie has just premiered in the States, and will be debuting in the UK this Thursday to a record-breaking audience. Last week, cinema chain Vue said it'd already sold 290,000 tickets for the flick, but new figures from The Hollywood Reporter now put that total at over 355,000. Odeon has also fielded around 500,000 bookings, according to the UK Cinema Association, and taking other theatres into account the new Star Wars has definitely smashed the UK pre-sales record with "way beyond 1 million" reserved cinema seats.

"The numbers far exceed anything we've seen before for any movie in the UK," the UK Cinema Association's CEO said. It probably helps that theatres are making Star Wars: The Force Awakens as accessible as humanly possible. Early demand has led cinemas to put on extra screens and screenings, with midnight showings also available to the keenest of fans. The pre-sales record has been stripped from Spectre, James Bond's most recent adventure, and guesstimates put the new Star Wars at having taken roughly £6.6 million before the lights have even dimmed for the first showing. No doubt the film will destroy the UK box office record, too, besting the £103 million of current title holder Skyfall.