STAR WARS fanatics descended on cinemas across South Essex in the depths of night to get the first glimpse of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

A host of cinemas, including Movie Starr, Canvey, Cineworld Basildon and Odeon Southend offered fans the chance to see a double header, screening The Force Awakens before the latest film was shown at Midnight.

Canvey Movie Starr sold 115 tickets for the midnight screening, with manager Sam Parkin thrilled.

He said: “It went really well, we only had three seats spare which is amazing, especially on a Wednesday night.

“As the film finished, there was lots of debate as to how it ranked, but overall everyone seemed to enjoy the film”.

Stuart Crane, of Cineworld Cinemas, said: “For many film fans, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is going to be the biggest film of the year, and hundreds of Star Wars fans joined us last night at Cineworld Basildon. We are expecting this opening weekend of Star Wars: The Last Jedi to be the busiest weekend of the year for us, with many screens already sold out. That said, there are still some seats available for screenings this weekend at Cineworld Basildon.”