`PHANTOM' TICKETS SET FOR SALE TODAY.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Advance tickets go on sale at noon today for ``Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace,'' at the new Edwards Cinemas, one of thousands of theaters nationwide chosen to screen the long-awaited sci-fi epic.

Fans will be allowed to purchase 12 tickets for the opening night performance, scheduled for 12:01 a.m. May 19 at the Soledad Canyon Road movieplex. Buyers must have cash to pay for the tickets, according to recorded information at the theater complex.

There are expected to be 500 tickets available for sale today for the midnight show, slated to run on three screens at Edwards Canyon Country Stadium 10 Cinemas.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials are prepared for the crowds that may gather at the cineplex, said Sgt. Joe Efflandt of the Santa Clarita Valley station. The theater chain will foot the bill for providing crowd control, either by hiring private security guards or contracting with the Sheriff's Department, he said.

``They're expecting to sell 500 tickets for the 12:01 a.m. showing. They're making a determination right now whether they're going have a 3 a.m. showing, and if that does occur, they will sell an additional 500 tickets for a total of 1,000,'' Efflandt said.

The sergeant and five deputies, assigned to a community-policing unit, will respond to any problems that might arise during today's ticket selling or next week's opening night, he said.

While ``Phantom Menace'' is playing at the cineplex, theater officials won't permit any customer activity that would disrupt neighboring businesses in the Soledad Canyon Road shopping plaza. ``You can wait in line, but they won't be allowing any tents in the parking lot or camping out,'' Efflandt said.

Santa Clarita Valley station deputies and watch commanders have been briefed on the event and they will monitor the situation with periodic patrols in the area, Efflandt said.

``Phantom Menace'' also may show on five screens at the Edwards Cinemas in the Valencia Town Center, the sergeant said.

Once the film opens, authorities don't foresee the movie causing problems. Most fans, Efflandt said, ``want to say they saw it opening night. I think that crowd is not going to be a rowdy crowd,'' he said.

``We're going to have people lining up from this week until next, even though they already have tickets, because the seating is the big thing,'' he predicted.

``We just want to see it turn out to be a peaceful event,'' he said. ``We don't want to see it get out of hand. We want to see everybody have a good time.''