Devoted 'Star Wars' fan camping outside DC theater almost a week in advance of movie release

WASHINGTON - We are just less than a week away from the debut of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" -- one of the hottest ticket in town.

A huge turnout is expected when the movie comes out and one dedicated "Star Wars" fan is already camping out at the Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park.

David Casterline is staying put outside of the theater and he is not alone as long lines are starting to form in other cities ahead of the movie release.

Just steps away from the box office of the 79-year-old theater, you can't miss Casterline's makeshift campsite.

He is a photographer -- and if you're wondering -- he said his work situation is all taken care of. He got to theater at about 6 a.m. Friday.

He has tickets for the film already, but the reason he is camping out already is all about getting a prime seat in the theater.

He is alone right now, but over the next few days, about a dozen other people will join him in a tradition that goes back to the last round of "Star Wars" prequels.

While he can't put a tent up, a lot of thought went into his temporary home for the better part of next week.

"I got a recliner and two additional wooden chairs that I actually got on Craigslist for free yesterday," Casterline told us. "I got another tailgate chair and the one I will sleep on, a full beach chair. I got a tarp I'm going to put over and a sleeping bag."

So why did this Fairfax, Virginia resident decide to camp out at this particular movie theater?

"This theater has a lot of history with 'Star Wars,'" he said. "Actually, the original played here in 1977, and of those few theaters, there are not a lot around anymore, so it's pretty important to me to see it in this one."