It's no secret Rene and I are huge Star Wars nerds, and we were thrilled to see Lucasfilm's brand-new trailer for Episode VII alongside the start of ticket pre-sales. Thrilled! As if we weren't pumped up enough yet to buy tickets for the December opening of The Force Awakens...

Go on. You can watch it again. No one's judging you.

Okay, so now you're excited enough and you want to get some tickets, right? Right.

Sales are primarily happening through Fandango, and (surprise) the website isn't exactly handling the load at the rate people would prefer. So, as with the Apple pre-order experience, we suggest a different tack: Using the free Fandango app. Here's how.

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  1. Download the Fandango app; open it when you're finished with the download.
  2. Allow the app to use your current location.
  3. Tap on the Movies tab, then select Coming Soon. Scroll down to December 18 and tap Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
  4. Scroll to December 17 in the date-picker. If this date is unavailable, pre-sales for your area may not be available yet.


    (Awww, don't cry: You can sign up for a Fandango FanAlert to let you know when presales arrive in your area.)
  5. Tap the showtime under the theater you want to visit.
  6. Choose the number of tickets you want, and your seats.
  7. If you get a "502" error, the Fandango server is being slammed. Return to step 3 and try again, and try to avoid shooting a blaster into your phone.


  8. Succeed, and pay for your seats.

Congratulations! You've reserved tickets for the Force Awakens. Now sit back, relax, and try to avoid potential spoilers for the next two months.

Or, you know, spend it practicing this friendship-pat between Poe Dameron and Finn. I'm not judging. (I just spent fifteen minutes making gifs, after all.)

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