'Star Wars' fans out in full force as new merchandise released
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Today is a day "Star Wars" fans all around the galaxy have been waiting for -- Force Friday! Merchandise for the new "The Force Awakens" movie went on sale at 12 a.m.
Diehard "Star Wars" fans are probably napping right now after pulling an all-nighter to get the new toys.
PHOTOS: 'Star Wars' fans celebrate 'Force Friday'
Stores started selling at midnight, in advance of the December release of the long-awaited sequel "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Some Bay Area fans even hopped from one store to another to load up, spending hundreds of dollars in the process.
VIDEO: San Francisco store stocks up on new 'Star Wars' toys
"Imagine you are using the Force to turn that lock," one fan said while attempting to open a Disney store at 6 a.m. Friday. They loved every second of it.
"It was an honor to use the force to open up this store. So this was great," the fan said.
This particular store at the Serramonte Center in Daly City actually got a late start. Thousands of stores around the world opened at midnight to start selling toys related to the new movie "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens."
At San Francisco's Disney store, there were about 300 people waiting in line when it opened at midnight.
They called this marketing tactic Force Friday and, by the looks of things, it was a huge success.
"It's fun. It's kind of like Black Friday but for 'Star Wars' nerds," one fan said.
Fans were also looking for clues about the new movie, hoping the voices coming out of the toy figures would give them some insight into the plot.
Until then, they will play with their toys and, yes, these adults told ABC7 News the toys are for themselves and they do plan on playing with them.
"It keeps you young, 'Star Wars' keeps you young. It keeps you like a kid. It just makes you feel good. 'Star Wars' is all about being good,'" Daly City resident Matt Tolosa said.
And "Star Wars" is a money maker. You can expect a couple more toy rollouts and character reveals since "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" doesn't hit theaters until December 18.
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The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Disney Consumer Products, Lucasfilm, and this station.
