Star Wars: The Force Awakens UK release date

The force is strong with the U.K., as Star Wars: The Force Awakens will hit the region a little earlier than previously anticipated.

The official U.K. Star Wars Facebook and Twitter pages confirmed that the J.J. Abrams-directed entry in the franchise will arrive in theaters on Dec. 17, a day earlier than the U.S. release on Dec. 18.

And before you begin booking a ticket for Heathrow, as BBC notes, this date isn’t the earliest debut for the first new Star Wars film in a decade. The film will open first in the United Arab Emirates, where parts of it were filmed, on Dec. 15; and in France, Italy, and several other European nations on Dec. 16.

Whether the wait is 102, 101, 100, or 99 days, fans can prepare by checking out the latest on the new Star Wars novel Star Wars: Aftermath, the newly unveiled Star Wars toys, and more from EW’s continuing coverage of the film.

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