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Weekend Box Office:
THE FORCE AWAKENS Opens to Record $248M for $529M Global Launch
The Force is back, and it's stronger than ever. J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens shattered numerous box-office records over the weekend, grossing $248 million in North America — the biggest opening of all time, not accounting for inflation — for a global launch of $529 million.
The previous best was this summer's Jurassic World with $208.8 million domestically. Overseas, it scored $281 million for a $529 million global launch, besting Jurassic World ($524.9 million), which had the advantage of opening day and date in China. Force Awakens doesn't debut in the world's second-largest moviegoing market until Jan. 9.
Force Awakens' stunning performance sets a new standard for how much the North American box office can expand when the right movie comes along, and puts even more pressure on Hollywood studios to eventize their tentpoles. It's also a critical victory for Disney, which paid George Lucas $4 billion for Lucasfilm in order to get its hands on the Star Wars franchise.
Abrams' movie, buoyed by nostalgia, glowing reviews and an A CinemaScore, obliterated the previous December record set by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which debuted to $84.6 million in 2012. Moreover, overall revenue hit an all-time high, crossing $300 million for the first time ever. Mid-December isn't known for big opening numbers, since many consumers are distracted by pre-Christmas preparations.
At this rate, there's no telling how high Force Awakens will ultimately fly in terms of box-office revenue, since films over the year-end holidays can see huge multiples. James Cameron's Avatar opened to $77 million on the same weekend in 2009 on its way to becoming the top-grossing film of all time with $2.79 in global ticket sales, including $760.5 million domestically. And on the weekend before Christmas in 1996, Cameron's Titanic took in a mere $28.6 million on its way to grossing $2.19 billion worldwide.
Other records broken by Force Awakens include widest December release of all time (4,134 theaters), biggest Thursday-night previews ($57 million), biggest single day and biggest opening day ($120.5 million) and biggest Imax opening. And Force Awakens came close to taking the record for biggest Saturday from Jurassic World ($69.2 million).
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Opens to Record $248M for $529M Cosmic Global Launch
THE FORCE AWAKENS Opens to Record $248M for $529M Global Launch
The Force is back, and it's stronger than ever. J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens shattered numerous box-office records over the weekend, grossing $248 million in North America — the biggest opening of all time, not accounting for inflation — for a global launch of $529 million.
The previous best was this summer's Jurassic World with $208.8 million domestically. Overseas, it scored $281 million for a $529 million global launch, besting Jurassic World ($524.9 million), which had the advantage of opening day and date in China. Force Awakens doesn't debut in the world's second-largest moviegoing market until Jan. 9.
Force Awakens' stunning performance sets a new standard for how much the North American box office can expand when the right movie comes along, and puts even more pressure on Hollywood studios to eventize their tentpoles. It's also a critical victory for Disney, which paid George Lucas $4 billion for Lucasfilm in order to get its hands on the Star Wars franchise.
Abrams' movie, buoyed by nostalgia, glowing reviews and an A CinemaScore, obliterated the previous December record set by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which debuted to $84.6 million in 2012. Moreover, overall revenue hit an all-time high, crossing $300 million for the first time ever. Mid-December isn't known for big opening numbers, since many consumers are distracted by pre-Christmas preparations.
At this rate, there's no telling how high Force Awakens will ultimately fly in terms of box-office revenue, since films over the year-end holidays can see huge multiples. James Cameron's Avatar opened to $77 million on the same weekend in 2009 on its way to becoming the top-grossing film of all time with $2.79 in global ticket sales, including $760.5 million domestically. And on the weekend before Christmas in 1996, Cameron's Titanic took in a mere $28.6 million on its way to grossing $2.19 billion worldwide.
Other records broken by Force Awakens include widest December release of all time (4,134 theaters), biggest Thursday-night previews ($57 million), biggest single day and biggest opening day ($120.5 million) and biggest Imax opening. And Force Awakens came close to taking the record for biggest Saturday from Jurassic World ($69.2 million).
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Opens to Record $248M for $529M Cosmic Global Launch