THE Force was strong with Star Wars fans who have been packing cinema screens to see the latest instalment, The Last Jedi.

Some staff were in fancy dress as they welcomed crowds into the venues to see Episode VIII in the 40-year-old film franchise.

The fun began for many last Wednesday evening, with fans turning out to see a double bill that began with Episode VII: The Force Awakens before The Last Jedi could be shown at midnight.

At the Odeon in Bournemouth’s BH2 complex – where Saturday night tickets for the big iSense screen reached £15.75 for adults – staff were dressed as Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren.

General manager Richard Rowe said: “The opening night of Star Wars: The Last Jedi had a real buzz in the air and we had a fantastic turnout.

“It was great to see so many fantastic costumes and everyone really got into the spirit of the night. Across the nation we stocked up with over 100,000 boxes of popcorn and 16,000 hotdogs.”

Cineworld at Poole ran the film on several screens.

Stuart Crane, head of film at Cineworld Cinemas, said: “For many film fans, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is going to be one of the biggest films of the year, and thousands of Star Wars fans joined us in Cineworld cinemas across the UK to watch our midnight screenings on opening night.

“Early sales for Star Wars: The Last Jedi were on a par with 2015’s release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was the highest selling pre-sale film of all time – and Wednesday was our biggest midnight screening of the year.”

Scott Lovegrove, of Parkstone, was at the European premiere on Tuesday, December 11 at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

The event was attracted stars such as Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver, as well as director Rian Johnson, producer Kathleen Kennedy and Disney head Bob Iger.

Scott said: “The event was crazy for someone who has never been to a premiere before.

“The whole thing was such a spectacle, and walking the red carpet when the stars of the film are right next to you – albeit talking to the media outlets – was also very surreal.

“There just seemed to be so much happening at once, from fans and the media trying to get the attention of the film’s stars, to stormtroopers, to Snoke’s Red Guards.

“It was a lot to take in – a really great experience.”