Star Wars is Set to Rewrite the Record Book

Star Wars: The Force Awakens made its domestic debut with an estimated $238 million, smashing the previous record set by Jurassic World of $208.8 million, which opened in the summer.

According to initial estimates, “The Force Awakens” far surpassed that number raking in an astounding $120.5 million Dollars. People outside of the United States may simply prefer dinosaurs to spaceships, but part of the disparity can be attributed to the delayed launch of the movie in China, removing the potential for a solid financial contribution from moviegoers in the growing market.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens broke the opening weekend box office record.

Fans of the franchise also came out in record numbers over the weekend to be introduced to new characters like Daisy Ridley’s scavenger Rey, Adam Driver’s villainous Kylo Ren, and John Boyega’s stormtrooper turned good Finn.

Guatemalans dressed as Princess Leia sing the Star Wars soundtrack during an event held for the release of the film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in Guatemala City, Dec. 16, 2015.

Star Wars does not share the same universal popularity as other films in certain key markets around the world, such as China.

Internationally, The Force Awakens reeled in another $279 million, making it the third biggest worldwide opening of all time, behind Jurassic World’s $316 million and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2’s $314 million. 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 billion in global ticket sales, including $760.5 million domestically. The latest “Star Wars” is playing in 4,134 North American theaters, the widest December release ever.

The movie, directed by J.J. Abrams, scored a 95% positive rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. In a note, Richard Greenfield, one of the firm’s analysts said that if Star Wars fails to reach the $2 billion threshold, the company would fall short of its forecasts for 2016.

That includes a chart-topping US$57 million from fans who flocked to see the first showings on Thursday night.

Worldwide, the film’s global launch took in approximately $529 million USA, surpassing Jurassic World’s $524.9 million opening in June.