Star Wars Tickets Moving Fast As Sacramento's IMAX Theater Sells Out Through New Year

NATOMAS (CBS13) — It's one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, and ticket sales are living up to that billing.

Presale tickets for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" were made available on Monday, the same day the final trailer debuted.

If you wanted a guaranteed seat for the Dec. 18 premiere or showings before that, you may be out of luck. High demand crashed many online ticket sites, proving the franchise has the same market power as it did nearly 40 years ago.

A galaxy far, far away is now two months closer to a theater near you. The force was clearly with die-hard fans like Brian LaForce.

"I called them earlier and asked if there was a line and they were like, nope, no line, so I talked my wife into going to get dinner down the street," he said.

He quickly scored five seats at Regal Cinemas in Natomas, and is making the new sci-fi chapter a family affair.

"I got tickets for my brother, my niece, and wife and sister-in-law," he said.

For many others, not even Jedi mind tricks could secure a ticket in time.

"Fandango crashed, I tried to make it work on the app, it didn't work. I tried to make it work online, it didn't work," said Ian Cullity.

Many rumors swirling around over the past week pegged the start of ticket sales as being after a trailer aired during halftime of ESPN's Monday Night Football. But many ticket sites began sales at 5 p.m.—two hours before the trailer's debut.

For those wanting the IMAX experience in Sacramento before New Year's, you're likely out of luck. Opening night sold out within minutes and by 11 p.m., every showing through the end of the year was sold out.