Secret Cinema Extends Interactive 'Empire Strikes Back' Run

If you think it’s impossible to improve on the crown jewel of the Star Wars franchise, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, one company is determined to prove you wrong – by recreating the film in real life as you watch it on a theater screen.

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And apparently fans are eager to see what they can do, as the dates for their re-enactment of Episode V just got extended.

You might not have heard of Secret Cinema, which makes sense given their name, but it’s actually a bit of a misnomer. The company ‘s popularity has been taking off since its production of Back to the Future last year.

Basically, they offer interactive experiences based on popular movies to audiences as that movie is projected on a giant theater screen. In London last year, they recreated an entire block of the Hill Valley town from the movie, complete with period buildings and props that made it feel like you were on the movie’s set.

More than 75,000 people attended that event, although it ran into some trouble when the first night got canceled.

It was revealed last Wednesday that Secret Cinema’s next project would be recreating the most beloved Star Wars movie. The original announcement named the location as London, although it kept the location secret, and said the event would run from June 2 to Aug. 4. Now, there are new dates through Sept. 27.

The tickets, which cost about $75 for children and about $111 for adults, go on sale this Wednesday on the official website. You have to be at least 12 years old to attend.

You have to wonder what scenes the event will re-enact, plus how they’ll be able to pull it all off. I’m picturing life-size AT-T walkers marching down the aisle during the Battle of Hoth, or an X-Wing being lifted on wires over the audience’s heads when Yoda lifts the ship out of the Dagobah swamp.

The company employs actors to stage most of the scenes, which means it’s about the closest we’ll come to seeing Star Wars re-enacted as a theater play. The climactic lightsaber battle will no doubt be a trip, as will Han Solo’s carbonite freezing. Damn, someone just build me an X-Wing so I can fly to London this summer.

Next: Cover Unveiled for New Star Wars Comic

Secret Cinema Extends Run of Interactive ‘Empire Strikes Back’ Experience

By Kyle Warnke | Mar 16, 2015

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