A cinemagoer from Texas has been named the ultimate Star Wars champion after sitting through episodes of the space opera saga for 46 hours straight, including nine back-to-back viewings of new instalment The Force Awakens.
Jim Braden, 40, a content strategist at Austin-based Dell, was one of seven fans who took part in the Alamo Drafthouse cinema chain’s Star Wars marathon. In order to succeed, he had to sit through The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), followed by Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), and finally The Force Awakens on a loop.
“I wanted to demonstrate my passion,” Braden told Variety. “I grew up with Star Wars. As a kid, the simple morality just appealed to me. Everybody likes a white-hat hero they can get behind.”
The filmgoer achieved his remarkable feat by studying US Navy Seal breathing techniques, wearing shorts and a T-shirt to help stay awake in the air-conditioned auditorium, spacing his caffeine intake out in six-hour increments and snacking only on fruit and nuts to ensure he remained hungry. Participants were allowed access to food, drink and toilet breaks but were banned from sleeping, talking, texting and the use of illegal drugs to keep them awake.
“We put ourselves through hell mentally and physically,” said Braden, who watched the first screening of The Force Awakens with his six-year-old son, Kyle. “Watching it became almost a hallucinatory experience... one other guy complained of having chest pains and dropped out.” He added: “I came out of it saying that I still enjoyed the movie. That’s how you know it’s good.” As well as the mantle of Star Wars champ, Braden will receive a seven-year movie pass to Alamo Drafthouse cinemas, a variety of Star Wars merchandise and a cinema seat named in his honour, complete with a naming ceremony.
The Force Awakens continues to rack up record-breaking box office totals after scoring the highest-ever global opening weekend, $528 million (Dh1.93 billion). On Monday, JJ Abrams’ film notched up the biggest ever Monday at the North American box office, of $40.1 million.
