'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' world premiere brings Hollywood to a standstill
LOS ANGELES — if you were thinking of taking a leisurely stroll down
the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Monday might not be the best day to do it.
Hollywood Boulevard, home to the iconic Grauman's Chinese Theater — one of the handful of locations that showed the original Star Wars on its opening day, May 25 1977 — has been all but locked down in advance of Monday night's out-of-this-world event.
That would be the invite-only first screening of the year's most widely anticipated movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens — which some industry observers are already calling Hollywood's largest premiere ever.
It's not hard to see why. Six long blocks of this normally bustling
boulevard have been blocked off to traffic, and a three block-long white
tent has been erected to cover the red carpet where every celebrity
Disney can muster will be walking — including the franchise's father,
George Walton Lucas Jr.
The star-covered sidewalks have been fenced off, and metal detectors
are visible everywhere. The LAPD says that extra vehicle patrols and
more officers are being assigned to the area. Security guards are
attempting to prevent curious passers-by from taking pictures, and
strict dress instructions have been issued to guests.
Image: Mashable, Annie Park
"For
your safety and security, we ask you leave masks, face shields, or
other facial feature obstructing headgear or make-up, as well as light
sabers, blasters, or other weaponry (real or simulated) at home," Disney
reps told guests in an email.
Security efforts are helped by the fact that it's an unseasonably
cold and blustery day in the City of Angels — though that hasn't stopped
dozens of hardcore fans from bringing camping chairs and sitting out on
the sidewalk a block outside the exclusion zone, hoping to catch a
glimpse of their heroes.
Image: Mashable, Annie Park
Guests
aren't yet being told which theater or theaters they're seeing the
movie in, although the Chinese and the nearby El Capitan, which is owned
by Disney, seem like pretty safe bets.
Mashable will be here in force, livestreaming on Periscope and Snapchatting from the red carpet starting at 4 p.m. PST.
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