Even you Mr Obama? When US President Obama ditched a press conference to go watch 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

US President Barack Obama had a special screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the White House with families of fallen soldiers, ahead of the first family's annual holiday trip to Hawaii.

The screening of the much-anticipated movie that opened in theatres across the US on Friday was for the members of Gold Star families, an organisation of family members who have lost relatives in military combat.

"There is a screening of Star Wars for Gold Star families and children coming up. So I'll try to be relatively succinct," the US President said at the beginning of his year-ender press conference on Friday.

"Okay, everybody, I got to get to Star Wars," Obama said after fielding the last questions.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest also made an appearance later in the briefing room alongside a pair of Star Wars Stormtroopers and the droid R2-D2.

"This is pretty cool, isn't it? You gotta admit, this is pretty cool," Earnest said.

It can be useful to bring friends along sometimes. Thx @Disney 4 hosting a @StarWars event for Gold Star families. pic.twitter.com/mdbP76V5QV

— Josh Earnest (@PressSec) December 18, 2015

Reporters joked that this left little doubt as to which side of the force the administration was on. 

Welcome to the @WhiteHouse, R2-D2. #StarWars pic.twitter.com/LVJZereiUh

— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) December 19, 2015