‘Star Wars’ crushes opening day record, global sales near $130 million

Disney says the new “Star Wars” film will possibly overtake the $208.8 million record of “Jurassic World” set in June, based on the robust box office receipt of Friday matinees.

That tops the previous record holder, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2″, which grossed $43.5 million from Thursday shows in July 2011. Disney said movie theaters were continuing to add screenings to meet “unprecedented demand”. White House Press secretary Josh Earnest is joined by Star Wars Storm Troopers and R2D2 in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Friday, Dec. 18, 2015.

Disney said 47 per cent of Thursday’s domestic ticket sales came from higher-priced 3D tickets. While many eager fans were likely waiting in line to get inside and grab their seats well before yesterday, some individuals will be waiting as long as they can before they make the trip down to their local cinema to see the latest Star Wars flick.

Of course, when it comes to huge films from popular franchises, the latest in the Star Wars lineup is not the first movie Google has put for a day-1 pre-order, and it surely won’t be the last as this is a trend that is unlikely to die out. Disney bought “Star Wars” producer Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012.

The film began its worldwide rollout Wednesday and has grossed $72.7 million overseas so far, bringing its global cumulative box office to $130 million.

Strong reviews plus a decades-long affection for the Star Wars franchise are driving interest, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box office tracking firm Rentrak.

“The potential for The Force Awakens to ultimately break into the $2bn club worldwide is certainly in the realm of possibility”, he said.

The Force Awakens picks up the intergalactic story of good versus evil 30 years on from “The Return of the Jedi”, the finale of the original trilogy.

Such a positive reaction for “The Force Awakens” may attract the kind of repeat viewings that made James Cameron’s “Avatar” and “Titanic” the highest grossing films of all time.

Two million tickets were booked in advance of the Force Awakens release, setting a new record for advanced ticket bookings in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The trio of heroes who appeared in the first of the blockbusters in 1977 – smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), leader of the rebel alliance, and her twin brother Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) – are all back and played by the actors that Star Wars first made famous. First lady Michelle Obama hosted a screening for children of families that lost members to war.