Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Pictured: a promotional image for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." On Wednesday, Lucasfilm announced a live 18-hour toy unboxing marathon for the upcoming film's merchandise. Disney / Lucasfilm

It’s a poorly-kept secret that part of the “Star Wars” franchise’s success over the years has had a great deal to do with toys and collectibles from the movies. Now, to highlight their importance of the upcoming film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” Lucasfilm has organized a massive, worldwide toy unboxing.

According to Variety, the event will take place over the course of 18 hours leading up to the massive public release of all the toys on Sept. 4, also known as “Force Friday.” Viral celebrities from sites like YouTube will be live streamed on ABC’s Disney-owned website and mobile app as well as the official "Star Wars" YouTube channel. “Good Morning America” will also reportedly broadcast the unboxing event live from New York City.

The 18-hour marathon begins in Sydney, Australia, at 7:45 a.m. local time (5:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 2). Internet celebrities attached to the Maker Studios’ brand will unbox a toy from the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” lineup live before switching things over to Asia, Europe, North America and South America. In total, the event will span 18 hours, 15 cities and 12 countries before finally finishing at Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco at 8 a.m. PDT on Sept. 3.

“‘Star Wars’ toys have always played an important role in how our fans interact with the saga,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement. “They’ve inspired multiple generations to relive the experience of the movies and to create new adventures all their own. These spectacular ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ products will continue that tradition.”

The event will feature unboxing talents such as EvanTubeHD, Bratayley, ExpCaseros, AlexBy11, Chris Pirillo and many more. For a full list of the talent that will be involved in the 15 unboxing events, check out StarWars.com.

Real die hard “Star Wars” fans will likely be viewing the marathon as it’s the premiere event for collectors hoping to get their hands on merchandise from the upcoming movie. In addition, earlier this year, two big-budget films ("Jurassic World" and "Ant-Man") almost had minor plot details spoiled for fans thanks to leaked toy images. Perhaps there will be something in the 18 hour marathon that will clue viewers into the events of “The Force Awakens” before it hits theaters on Dec. 18.

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