"We'll be ready for it:" Star Wars fans get in line early for premiere of "The Force Awakens"

MILWAUKEE -- We've been counting down for months -- and the long-awaited premiere is finally here. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" debuts in theaters on Thursday evening, December 17th -- and fans are proving they will stop at nothing to show their love of The Force.

"When I arrived at the theater, they looked at me like I was crazy. They didn't know what to do with me," said Star Wars fan Ashley Lasage.

That might have something to do with the fact that Lasage got in line at 8 a.m. Thursday for the 9:55 p.m. show.

"Second wind. We'll be ready for it and we'll be able to stay up," said Lasage.

A full 17 hours before the new movie premieres at Brookfield's Majestic Theater, they were showing the Star Wars story from the very beginning.

"Those are the diehards, the ones that are sitting through all seven movies," said Nadene Foti from Marcus Majestic Cinema. "It was $60 for all seven movies, back-to-back. And they stay in one spot."

Unless they have to take a final exam at MATC's downtown Milwaukee campus.

"I left here at 8 o'clock for my 9 o'clock exam," said Simon Pfarr, a Star Wars fan.

Pfarr left the string of Star Wars movies, wore his costume to his final exam, and managed to get back for the end of Episode IV.

"I'm like, 'Are you sure, like, you don't wanna sleep, take your final, and then come?' And he's like, 'No. We're gonna see as many movies as possible,'" said Julie Whelan, a Star Wars fan.

200 free tickets for the 7 p.m. show at the Avalon Theater in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood were claimed quickly -- and the 10 p.m. show was sold out. On Friday, there are still tickets available for select shows. Managers at Avalon expect the movie will be running there for at least a month.