Hudson Valley Star Wars Fans Unknowingly Bought Wrong Tickets

These were not the tickets you were looking for.

If you think you're going to be one of the first people to see the new Star Wars movie in December, you're probably not.

Star Wars fans are counting the days until The Rise of Skywalker is released on December 19. The film is the final chapter in the trilogy of trilogies that will put an end to the saga that has been captivating audiences since 1977.

On October 21, to much fanfare, advance tickets for The Rise of Skywalker went on sale. Diehard fans like me waited patiently to snatch up tickets quickly so we could claim our seats before they were all sold out. I had both Fandango and the Regal Cinemas app loaded on my phone to make sure I would be able to get seats to the very first showing.

When tickets were released the Regal Cinemas in Poughkeepsie and Fishkill had the very first showings listed at 6pm. Across the country, there were also special "Fan Events" planned that, for a higher cost, gave fans free popcorn, a souvenir and, more importantly, the chance to see the movie an hour earlier at 5pm.

Unfortunately, those fan events were only scheduled in select cities and were not available in the Hudson Valley. So, local moviegoers, like myself, purchased the 6pm tickets and went on with their lives, happy with the knowledge that they'd be able to see the movie at the earliest possible time.

This week, almost a month after tickets went on sale, I was on the Fandango app and discovered that my tickets were actually not for the first Hudson Valley showing of The Rise of Skywalker after all. It turns out that Regal decided to add those special "Fan Event" showings to both of their locations in Fishkill and Poughkeepsie. With no announcement made, tickets are now available for two 5pm showings at the Regal Cinemas in the Poughkeepsie Galleria and also on two screens at the Fishkill theater.

Getty Images for Disney

Fans who spent time waiting for tickets to go on sale and bought them the day they were available were not given notice that their tickets were now no longer for the first showing. And, unlike the earlier presale, there was no email sent out to announce the added "fan event."

It's unclear when these tickets actually went on sale, but as of now there are only a handful of seats taken for these times. According to Regal's app, the 6pm, 6:30pm and other showings are almost all sold out.

So, if you were planning on being one of the first ones to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in the Hudson Valley, you'll need to act fast. I was able to purchase my tickets and reserve excellent seats for the earlier showing and get a refund on the 6pm tickets. It is important to note, however, that the fan showings appear to be in smaller theaters. So you'll have to decide what is more important to you; seeing it first or seeing it on a bigger screen.

If you're like me and want to see the movie first (and have a kid with school the next day who wants to see it too) you'll definitely want to grab those 5pm tickets as quickly as you can before everyone else finds out about it. Good luck, and may the force be with you.

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