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Utah’s Megaplex will screen the entire ‘Star Wars’ saga in a 24-hour marathon

(Image courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd./Disney) Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, runs from an approaching TIE fighter in a scene from "Star Wars, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker," which will be released in theaters in December 2019.

  | Oct. 20, 2019, 2:32 p.m.
| Updated: Oct. 22, 2019, 2:31 a.m.

Fans of the “Star Wars” movies will get a chance to watch all of the Skywalker family’s saga in one sitting this December.

To celebrate the release of “Star Wars, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker,” the Megaplex at The District in South Jordan will play host to a marathon of all nine movies in the “Star Wars” saga, starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Reserved seats are $99, and include a marathon “comfort kit” — which features an exclusive event blanket and other items. The admission price also includes a commemorative pin, a souvenir popcorn tin and drink cup, and unlimited drink and popcorn refills for the duration of the marathon.

For another $39.95, moviegoers can also buy a “marathon meal plan,” which will include three meals and a midnight snack from the theater’s concessions.

The marathon will take just over 24 hours, with breaks between films. The District will screen the movies in franchise order, starting with 1999′s “Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” the way series creator George Lucas prefers to tell the story.

(Many fans recommend the so-called “machete order,” where a viewer starts with the classic 1977 movie “Star Wars” — retitled “Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope” — and 1980’s “The Empire Strike Back,” then watches the prequels as an extended flashback.)

The marathon will end on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 19, with “The Rise of Skywalker,” which is expected to dominate the box office this Christmas season.

The Megaplex chain also will hold an opening-night “fan event” on Dec. 19, starting at 5 p.m., at four of its locations: Jordan Commons (Sandy), Geneva (Vineyard), Thanksgiving Point (Lehi) and The Junction (Ogden). In addition to being among the first moviegoers to see “The Rise of Skywalker,” event attendees will get a commemorative pin, and a souvenir popcorn tub and drink cup. Tickets are $25.

Tickets for the marathon, the fan event, and the general run of “The Rise of Skywalker” go on sale Monday at megaplextheatres.com.

The AMC Theaters chain announced Saturday it also will run a “Star Wars” marathon, at select locations starting Dec. 18. The chain has not yet said if any of its three Utah multiplexes — in West Jordan, Layton and Provo — will be selected.