STAR Wars fans will be out in force in Bolton and Bury for the hotly anticipated premier of The Force Awakens.

The next phase of the film franchise will be taking the towns cinemas by storm when it is released at midnight on Wednesday.

As of one minute past midnight, 25 screens will be screening the film for local fans and welcoming all who dare to fancy dress as their favourite Jedi, troppers, Wookiees and galactic princesses.

Tickets are flying out of the box office faster than the Millennium Falcon, and local cinemas are opening more screens to meet the demand.

Bolton's Cineworld is preparing to let Star Wars take over from midnight with five screens reeling out the film from five minutes past midnight, with a mix of 3D, 2D and its 700 seater cinema.

Bookings for the J.J. Abrams directed sequel have smashed the Cineworld Bolton’s previous pre-sale record set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two as part of nationwide advanced takings of £50 million

Stormtroopers will be welcoming film-goers who will have the famous imperial guardsman checking their tickets on the way in at midnight.

Out of the cinemas 15 screens, 12 will be showing the film from 9.30am on Thursday with a showing every 15 minutes to half an hour right through to next Thursday.

Staff will also be joining in the fan, donning fancy dress alongside audience members for Wednesday night's midnight premier.

Manager James Booth said: "Tickets are selling really well and it promises to be a fantastic movie.

"We have plenty of seats available with tickets flying out of the door and we have lots of showings so nobody feels like they are missing out."

The Vue at Middlebrook is already on the way to a box office smash this weekend with pre-sales well underway.

General Manager Brodie Lyons said: "It looks like it could end up being the biggest film of all time. The pre-sales are doing phenomenally well.

"The Wednesday night and Thursday morning attendance could be through the roof.

"We are expecting many of our Star Wars fans to come in costume and we know several of our regulars are already gearing up it."

At midnight the cinema will be opening 10 screens, with four 3D showings and six 2D, and early birds on Thursday can catch a 3D screening at 8am.

From 9.15am on Thursday right through to Sunday, the cinema will run the film every half hour.

Fans venturing out in Bury can go the The Vue at The Rock at catch the midnight screening where there will be 10 screens showing it with an option of 2D or 3D.

As with its Bolton counterpart, Bury's cinema will have 30 showings on Thursday, starting at 8am, and 23 more on Saturday and Sunday.