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Lines were forming to see Star Wars films right in the very beginning, when the first installment of what would become a massive franchise hit screens in 1977.
The release date was May 25th of that year, so by the time this above photo was taken the lines were growing longer as word of it spread beyond the initial fanbase. Following its release, it was reported that a year before, "20th Century Fox either had to scrap the project or allow George Lucas to start filming this intergalactic fairytale budgeted at $8.5 million." It almost didn't make it to the big screen.
When Return of the Jedi came out in 1983, VP of Lucasfilm Sid Ganis said he was he was struck by the ''joyous'' attitude of those in line, telling the NY Times: ''They weren't drinking, weren't smoking dope. Women were wearing their hair braided the way Princess Leia does on the Ewok planet. Men were in Luke Skywalker black costumes. They were not just people going to the movies.''
Here's a look back at the line-waiters over the years:
The above photo was taken outside of Avco Center on Wilshire Blvd, which closed in 2011. That space is now an iPic.
As for The Force Awakens, people started lining up outside the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood last week.
Related: Hear How Exciting It Was To See 'Star Wars' In Theaters In 1977
