Thursday, May 13, 1999
Ticket buyers bond in 'Star Wars' line
BY MARIE McCAIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SPRINGDALE — For some, getting tickets to the new Star Wars prequel Wednesday was a long wait in a lengthy line for a chance to sit in a movie theater and lose themselves in the troubles and triumphs of someone else, somewhere else, in a galaxy far, far away.
But for others, the wait was more a pilgrimage.
“These movies have helped me. They are the ultimate stories of good vs. evil,” said Sean O'Brien, 21, of West Chester, one of more than 500 who lined up for the 3 p.m. start of ticket sales at Springdale's Showcase Cinemas. The movie opens Wednesday.
Though still in his mother's womb in 1977, when Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader first battled, Mr. O'Brien has made up for lost time, collecting enough memorabilia to be considered a hard-core fan.
He and several friends camped overnight at the theater in hopes of being first in line for ticket sales.
But they made only the top 10, beaten out by Jared Gross and Alan Conklin, two 19-year-old Miami University students from Sharonville.
“We drove down here at about 5:30 a.m. and there were a lot of people already camped out,” Mr. Conklin said, adding that the line formed following a brief foot race after one person ran for the movie theater door.
As they waited, many ticket-seekers amused themselves with Star Wars books, conversations and trivia questions such as “What's the name of the actor who played Boba Fett?” Star Wars: The Phantom Menace will be shown on two screens at the Springdale Showcase Cinemas in theaters that seat 499 and 522 people, respectively.
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