Stormtroopers marched and droids rolled down the red carpet at The Force Awakens world premiere in Los Angeles, heralding the return of Star Wars after a decade-long absence from the big screen.
A giant opaque tent shrouded the red carpet that was lined with Stormtrooper mannequins and neon lights that resembled giant lightsabers.
Before some of the film's human stars arrived, the droid BB-8 rolled by the cameras. The soccer ball-esque droid has been a popular fixture in trailers for the seventh Star Wars film, and it was soon joined by series mainstays C-3PO and R2-D2.
Early arrivals mixed stars from the original trilogy, Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), with newcomers Gwendolyn Christie and Daisy Ridley.
The women portray the evil Captain Phasma and Rey, two new characters who will be expected to carry the Star Wars film franchise as it is introduced to a new generation.
Disney took over a half-mile section of Hollywood Boulevard for the premiere for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, complete with fan bleachers and spotlights everywhere.
The film will screen at three theatres, allowing more than 5000 invited guests the chance to see the characters Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and Han Solo reunite for the first time on the big screen since 1983's Return of the Jedi.
John Williams' soaring score played as stars walked the red carpet and did interviews.
Harrison Ford reflected on the impact of the film and the role that catapulted him to superstardom.
"Well, in the '70s nobody knew what to anticipate," Ford said in an interview with Starwars.com. "Nobody had ever seen anything like it. Now we have to live up to what the first films delivered."
In bleachers set up on the boulevard, some fans dressed as X-Wing pilots while others held up helmets resembling those worn by bounty hunters in the film.
Film character BB-8 arrives at the world premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Source: AAP
Security around the site was high, with metal detectors screening pedestrians and police dogs checking the area.
Carrie Fisher almost didn't make it to the premiere because of the tight security.
Long after the film's new stars Ridley, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac, and fellow original co-star Ford turned up, Fisher arrived on the red carpet with her daughter, actress Billie Catherine Lourd.
Fisher, who is reprising her role as Princess Leia from the original Star Wars movies, tweeted from her car that she was stuck in traffic and blamed it on the sniffer dogs who had been called in for the event.
"We probably'll (sic) be stuck in traffic thru first hour of film... bomb dogs currently sniffing the car-almost there," Fisher tweeted.
Star Wars creator George Lucas was spotted laughing and chatting with director and co-writer JJ Abrams on the red carpet.
Lucas has already seen the movie and has reportedly given it his seal of approval.
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Dressed in a navy jacket and checked shirt, Lucas said: "It's a film about families and what one generation leaves behind, another generation has to deal with."
He added: "I started off wanting to do a film for young people who were going through adolescence, with mythological themes and spiritual themes. That is what resonated with people."
Actors Chadwick Boseman and Sarah Hyland and director Steven Spielberg were among the Hollywood celebrities who attended what could be the largest Hollywood premiere ever.
One of the participating theatres - the iconic TCL Chinese - hosted the premiere of the original Star Wars in 1977.
Spielberg praised the franchise, saying he knew when the first film was released that it would be an enduring hit. "It was a slow burn, but I knew it would never go away," Spielberg told Starwars.com.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens will premiere in Australia on Wednesday ahead of its general release on Thursday, December 17.
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and Rachel Taylor have been listed among the stars to appear at the Aussie premiere in Sydney.
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