SINGAPORE : "Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" premieres next Thursday and already fans are going into overdrive collecting the film's merchandise.
Light-sabers and the movie's key chains are flying off the shelves, so much so that toy shop owners say they have to replenish their stocks every two to three weeks.
Toy shop owners say Star Wars fans have been checking in to inquire about new items almost every other day.
It is an expensive hobby, but in the eyes of Star Wars toy collectors, they are priceless.
And neither price nor distance is any hindrance to the fans.
"The cheapest is a S$6.90 Lego key chain. It's selling real well; we sell about 20 of these a day. At over S$2,000, this is the most expensive. I sold one, this is the last piece left," one shopkeeper said.
"This is the latest. I just bought it in the US off the Internet on eBay. That mask costs about US$40. I paid another US$30 to Fedex it over. All in it cost me US$70," said one collector. - CNA /ct
What rating does SW3 carry? In Australia, it is rated M15 because of its dark theme. Previous episodes carried PG13 ratings.