The 16-year-olds from Gig Harbor wanted to be first in line for the opening of the Galaxy Uptown Theatre, so they showed up eight hours early.

Their persistence – which required taking a day off from Gig Harbor High – paid off. Shortly before 11:30 a.m., theater employees gave them a pair of large novelty tickets and the teens stepped through the door, becoming the first customers at the 10-screen cinema. They got tickets to see “10,000 B.C.”

“We always watch movies, so this is awesome,” Smith said.

Gig Harbor’s theater opened Friday to a diverse crowd starved for entertainment, as some of the 300 or so people in line could attest.

A half-hour before the opening, the line snaked down the side of the building almost to Panera Bread on the other end of the new shopping center.

Shivering moviegoers donned stocking caps and gloves. One group brought a propane-powered heater.

“It’s fun to see all this,” said Mike Christensen of Gig Harbor.

Once they were inside, a cavernous lobby greeted them, complete with concierge desk, arcade, neon lights and flat-screen TVs. The snack bar serves traditional fare, as well as jalapeño poppers, mozzarella sticks, pizza and hot wings.

The multiplex at 4649 Point Fosdick Drive boasts a digital projection system and one plush adult theater that eventually will sell beer and wine.

Galaxy held a VIP Party with civic leaders Thursday, then a ribbon-cutting the next day.

But the crowd didn’t come just to see a Hollywood treat in new-smelling seats and floors not encrusted with sticky soda.

The theater advertised for a few weeks that its first 100 guests would get free 90-day passes.

Some eager moviegoers, mostly teens, began lining up about 3 p.m. Thursday. Some had set up tents and were ready to camp overnight. The theater made them disperse.

“Rather than having them catch a cold, we decided to give passes to the first 100 people,” said Frank Rimkus, CEO of the California-based theater chain. On Friday, Galaxy gave out another 100.

Kelly Potter, 36, drove from Tacoma to catch “10,000 B.C.,” which was especially loud in Galaxy’s digital sound system. He was excited about $1 popcorn and soda all weekend.

Kelli Harrison of Gig Harbor arrived at 5:30 a.m. She said she dragged 24-year-old son Jeff out of bed so they could get in line.

“Oh my God. This is historic,” said Kelli Harrison, 45, as the time approached for the doors to open. “I’m a huge movie buff.”

She was about the sixth person in line, so she received a pass.

By 5 p.m., the theater had sold about 1,500 tickets, said A.J. Witherspoon, Galaxy’s general manager. No show had sold out, although “10,000 B.C.” came close.

Galaxy was expecting a crush for the evening shows, he said.

All week, the Gig Harbor community had buzzed about the opening. Peninsula School District officials tipped off the theater that students would arrive Thursday, Rimkus said.

Andrew West and Matthew Guglielmo were among the early birds. They each received one of the coveted free pass tokens.

They had a TV in their car and were ready to play the video game “Guitar Hero” to pass the time.

“We had people coming up to us saying, ‘Dude, I’ll give you 200 bucks for that,’” said Guglielmo, 20, of the theater tokens. “No way.”

The excitement shows how much Peninsula youths are starved for entertainment, said West, 19.

“All I’ve got to say is they finally have something for teens in Gig Harbor,” he said.

Brent Champaco: 253-597-8653

about THAT OTHER THEATER

Gig Harbor residents had to go without a movie theater for a while after the Regal Cinema 3 on Olympic Drive Northwest shut down in January.

It lacked adequate seating and an updated sound system, among other problems.

Developer Bruce Reikow purchased the property. He said Friday that it’s going to be turned into a retail-office center with shops, restaurants and a bank.

Reikow said he’d like to open in 2009 or 2010 as part of his Towne Plaza project.