Remember how TPM was originally scheduled for a Friday but Lucasfilm pushed it up two days so that they could get the fans out of the way ahead of the weekend?

I remember going to a 5/6 o'clock screening that wednesday and it definitely wasn't sold out. The line waiting for the 7/8 o'clock as I was leaving was a different story, though.

For TFA, I would want to see the very first screening, if only because I hate waiting and spoilers. That's what I did for Age of Ultron. 7 o'clock the Thursday night before and it wasn't even sold out, maybe half full. I feel like the whole early Thursday night thing still isn't very well known, even though it's basically become standard practice for the big blockbusters now. People hear Friday, they think Friday.