Star Wars: The Force Awakens to open in Europe before US

British fans will get to see JJ Abrams' ultra-hyped reboot on 17 December, a day ahead of those in North America but behind France

European fans of Star Wars will get to see new instalment The Force Awakens before their counterparts in North America, it has been announced.

JJ Abrams' film will open a day earlier than expected in the UK, on Thursday 17 December, while the French will get to see the movie a further 24 hours ahead of that, on Wednesday 16 December. The new dates were announced on the official UK and France Star Wars Facebook pages. The US and Canadian release date remains 18 December.