The average Star Wars fan has spent a whopping £800 on the movie franchise – so far, according to new research.

Self-proclaimed ‘superfans’ have splashed out £2,235 to date – including DVDs, toys and attending conventions.

Cinema tickets are the biggest expenditure among the most die hard followers of the film series – coming to £271.17 on average.

While £175.44 has gone on Star Wars clothing – and £125.42 has been invested in travel to exhibitions and filming locations.

The research of 1,006 Star Wars fans, ranging from casual aficionados to superfans, was commissioned by Barclaycard to celebrate Star Wars day (today, 4 May 2017).

Paul Lockstone, Managing Director of Barclaycard, said: “As one of the biggest movie franchises ever, perhaps it’s no surprise fans are willing to spend so much on it.

“However our data reveals it would be a Wookie mistake to think it’s just the super fans who like the Jedi lifestyle.

“With our data showing big increases in cinema spending each time a new film is released, it’s clear the force is awakening for a new generation.”

Over a fifth of respondents said they’d like to have a Star Wars themed wedding and 17 per cent would consider changing their name by deed poll to a character from the film series.

Twenty one per cent admit they would name their kids after a character from the galaxy far, far away and nearly a fifth would part with £2,000 or more in order to get their hands an original prop from the films.

The original R2-D2 prop is the most coveted piece of Star Wars memorabilia – followed by one of the Millennium Falcon models used to create the film’s special effects.

Consumer spending data from Barclaycard found cinema spends jumped 54 per cent in the week following the release of Rogue One last year – when compared to the week before.

And cinema expenditure rocketed by 111 per cent in the week after release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released in December 2015.

One Star Wars superfan, Karl Pethers from Kettering, has spent over £1,500 on Star Wars items so far during his lifetime.

He said: “I watched the original Star Wars film when I was three years old and have been obsessed ever since.

“For my 40th birthday, I decided that I wanted to treat myself to the Millennium Falcon Lego set as I have kept the original Millennium Falcon toy since I was seven.

“I have since spent over £1,500 on Star Wars Lego sets and even used my collection to help fund my wedding in 2015.

“For me, buying merchandise to commemorate the franchise is a throwback to my childhood.

“I’m a self-confessed Star Wars ‘superfan’ and will continue to spend on the series until I’m as old as Yoda.”

ENDS