https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxk8OW8cQTw

"Star Wars" fans in the UK awakened to disappointment Monday morning after two major cinema websites crashed before they could purchase advanced tickets to the hotly anticipated "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Movie theater chains Odeon and Cineworld's websites went dark because they weren't able to handle online purchases en masse as eager moviegoers tried to scoop up opening day tickets for Dec. 15, reports The Standard. Compounding matters further were fans who tried to purchase tickets to the upcoming James Bond sequel "Spectre," which opens Oct. 26 in the UK.

A spokesperson for Odeon confirmed in a statement that "massive traffic" caused the technical difficulties but things are "returning to normal speed."

"Having removed our online booking fees earlier this year, we knew this morning would be very busy and did as much as we could to prepare," the statement read. "Thousands of guests have already successfully bought their tickets. There have been some booking delays in the initial peak, but our website is now returning to normal speed."

Cineworld released a statement saying that only a "small number" of tickets sales to theaters were affected and the issue is being resolved. "We know just how excited our customers are about getting their hands on tickets and we're hoping to have the remaining tickets online shortly."