For "Star Wars" fans, the long wait for the next movie in the franchise is almost over, and the media frenzy surrounding its arrival is steadily building.
Star Wars fans Chris Pellitteri, 45, (Scout Trooper) with his wife Christine, 36, (Royal Guard) son Jay, 8, (Stormtrooper) and daughter Lily, 6, (Ewok) pose for a photo at their home.
Chris saw Star Wars in 1977 at a drive-in when he was 7 years old. He said that friends and family think they are "a little crazy for dressing up in Star Wars costumes, but since they know most of what we do is for charity ... they are pretty cool with it."
. London, UNITED KINGDOM. Reuters/Paul Hackett
Star Wars collector James Burns, 44, poses for a photograph with some of his collection in London.
He said: "I’ve met so many wonderful people, all over the world. It’s a wonderful community of likeminded people with an interest in Star Wars. There’s nothing else like it”.
. Yokohama, Japan. Reuters/Issei Kato
Star Wars fans Yusuke Yamana, 41, (right) and his wife Anna, 33, from Minnesota, in the United States, pose for a photo while dressed as Tusken Raiders in front of Star Wars memorabilia at their home in Yokohama, south of Tokyo.
Yusuke and Anna met at a Star Wars fan event in Japan in 2011 and got married in 2015.
. London, UNITED KINGDOM. Reuters/Paul Hackett
Carpenter and builder Matt Warner, 42, poses for a photograph displaying his Star Wars tattoos.
"Star Wars is like my favourite band, my favourite car, my favourite bit of life,” Warner said. “When I need it to be there it's there ... it's a way of life I suppose." Star Wars characters account for 90 percent of the tattoos he has.
. Corsham, UNITED KINGDOM. Reuters/Paul Hackett
Star Wars collector Matt Booker, 38, poses for a photograph next to some of his Boba Fett collection at his home in Corsham, Wiltshire.
Matt said he has a collection of over 8,000 Boba Fett pieces.
. Yokohama, Japan. Reuters/Issei Kato
A man nicknamed Ikemasa, 37, who didn't want to give his real name, poses for a photo dressed as Darth Vader next to his Star Wars collection at his home in Tokyo, Japan.
Ikemasa said that when his 2-year-old son sees Darth Vader in a TV program or movie, he calls the character "Papa".
. Southampton, UNITED KINGDOM. Reuters/Paul Hackett
Star Wars fan and postal worker Dave Oldbury, 47, poses for a photograph showing some of his Star Wars tattoos in Southampton, southern England.
"It's been a life journey really ... I've travelled round the world, I've met people I would never associate with normally,” Oldbury said. “The thing that unites us is the fact that we all love the films.”
. Norwich, UNITED KINGDOM. Reuters/Paul Hackett
Star Wars enthusiast Simon Wilkie poses for a photograph with the mask from his 3CPO outfit in Norwich, eastern England.
Wilkie has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity dressed as the Star Wars character 3CPO.
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Graphic designer and Star Wars collector Julian Peacock, 44, poses for a photograph with his life-size Storm Trooper uniform at his home in south London.
Peacock said that Star Wars was "an escape to a happy place... a more innocent time in my childhood."
"My fiancee, she puts up with it, she's quite happy with me having my own little crazy world of collectible toys,” Peacock said.
. Yokohama, Japan. Reuters/Issei Kato
Star Wars fan and businessman Testuyuki Nakagawa, 50, dressed as Darth Vader poses in front of his Star Wars collection at his home in Tokyo.
Nakagawa said that his wife cannot understand why he buys so many lightsabers.
. Kawasaki, Japan. Reuters/Issei Kato
A man nicknamed Tsukikage, 42, who didn't want to give his real name, swings his lightsaber in front of his Star Wars collection at his home in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo.
Tsukikage mainly collects items relating to his favourite character Yoda.
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Star Wars collector and truck driver Richard Mitchell, 46, poses for a photograph in his bedroom with some of his Star Wars collection in Buckinghamshire, southern England.
Mitchell once paid over $1,100 for a Princess Leia figure and describes Star Wars as "a way of life".
. Numazu, Japan. Reuters/Issei Kato
Star Wars fan Takaya Yoshino, 28, poses for a photograph dressed as a Stormtrooper at his home in Numazu, west of Tokyo.
Yoshino said he spends almost all his spare time and money on Star Wars. On their honeymoon Yoshino and his wife attended a Star Wars weekend at Seaworld in Florida. He said his wife is understanding of his hobby and is a Disney fan.
