This is the earliest that Castillo and friends have lined up to see a "Star Wars" movie. In 1999, Castillo camped out two days before Episode I opened; in 2002 he formed the line three days before the release of Episode II.

But as the Hawai'i premiere of "Sith" approached, Castillo said he began to worry.

"I called the theater Friday and asked them if anybody had called already, and they said they had a few inquiries. But I didn't think anything of it," Castillo said. "But then I started thinking that if people are starting to call the theater too ... then I started getting nervous."

With the encouragement of his father, the Waipahu resident pushed up his campout plan by a day and rushed to the theaters.

"I grabbed a backpack and a drink and one chair and I flew down there to stake my claim," Castillo said. "I called everybody and I said, 'Help. Somebody come and join me!' "

In no time, Castillo had organized an elaborate schedule of about 30 co-workers and friends to provide round-the-clock presence at the theater. His setup includes a tent complete with a portable air conditioner, food and drink, a flashing "Star Wars" sign, laptops showing earlier "Star Wars" movies, a remote-controlled R2D2 replica that Castillo built, and homemade posters declaring: "First in Line! For the Last Time."

The second group of campers arrived about four hours after Castillo. They said they were third in line in 2002.

Yesterday afternoon, Glenn Sahagun, 24, and Regina Gilliland, 25, did their time at the head of Castillo's line. Both work with Castillo at the Pearlridge Circuit City store.

Gilliland said people think they're crazy to be camped out more than five days before the movie opens. But she said it's more than just being the first in line.

"They say, 'You guys are diehard fanatics.' But I say no, we're just supporting our friend. It's all about friendship and camaraderie," Gilliland said.

Sahagun said he isn't even a "Star Wars" fan.

"I'm just here because of Eric," he said.

Castillo said he enjoys organizing the campout and that he's made many lifelong friends, including two brothers who were second in line three years ago.

"For me, it's been an incredible journey," he said. "You want to share the excitement and share the fun. That's the one thing that I'll always remember from it, is the things that you've gained and the people that you take with you."

The funny thing is, Castillo has already seen Episode III, at a premiere last week in Hollywood. That trip was hastily arranged by one of his friends.

"Everybody is asking me, if you already saw the movie, why do you want to do the line? It came down to the same thing: it's been a tradition," Castillo said. "It's for my friends here, it's for my family here, it's for everybody that I talked about it here. I'm not going to be that selfish and say, 'Screw everybody, I already saw the movie, and I'm not going to do the line thing.' It was a promise I wanted to keep."

By the way, Castillo said the movie is "fantastic."