Star Wars fans steal film posters in Australia

Hundreds of promotional posters for the new Star Wars film have been stolen by film fans.

More than half the posters for an advertising campaign in Australia for the film have gone missing.

20th Century Fox says thousands of dollars of damage has been caused to bus stops and other sites.

Fans have smashed glass and bent metal frames to remove about 540 of the limited edition posters.

"It makes us realise the length that fans will go to in their efforts to own a piece of this film," Fox films marketing director John Scott told the Sydney Morning Herald.