Fan sits through The Force Awakens nine times, named biggest Star Wars fan

The Alamo Drafthouse has unilaterally declared the biggest Star Wars fan in the country after one man sat through a movie marathon stretching more than 30 hours.

The theater hosted the contest to discover the biggest fan, inviting nine people from around the country to their landmark Austin, Texas theater to sit through the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, and numerous screenings of the latest film.

The winner? Jim Barden, the new local hometown hero of Austin, who sat through 15 Star Wars movies — meaning he's seen The Force Awakens nine times — to win the prestigious title.

Barden spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about how he managed to stay awake, and more importantly, sane, during the marathon.

"I guess I took a sort of scientific approach," Barden told the magazine. "I planned accordingly."

Barden said he used little tricks, like chewing peppermint gum and smelling lemon wedges, to keep himself awake and stayed away from energy drinks and heavy meals that can lead to crashing later. Instead, he stuck to light lunches, healthy snacks and one black coffee every six hours to keep his body on course.

Barden added that having to sit through The Force Awakens nine times didn't ruin the experience for him, but insisted it allowed him to form an actual opinion of the movie. Being able to focus on different aspects of the film with each screening ensured he didn't miss anything important, either.

As for when he'd want to see the movie again? Barden said that he felt like he was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, explaining that after he went home and caught a few hours of sleep, he woke up and immediately wanted to watch the movie again.

As for his official ranking of the movies, Barden said The Force Awakens falls directly in the middle, with The Empire Strikes Back being his favorite and Phantom Menace being his least favorite.

The Force Awakens is currently playing in theaters around the world, and has already broken many box office records and picked up a major award nomination.