“Star Wars” breaks box office records in weekend debut in US, Canada

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” became the biggest opening in movie history over the weekend, bringing in an estimated $247 million in North America, according to Disney.

“Jurassic World”, an unexpected sensation in June, also holds the global weekend opening record with $524.9 million, a number “The Force Awakens” could well exceed.

The highly anticipated “Force Awakens” has blazed a record-setting trail since its domestic debut Thursday, breaking the record for highest-grossing domestic opening night with $57 million and biggest single-day sales Friday with $120.5 million.

The Force is growing stronger with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” moving toward a new opening weekend record of at least $225 million in the US, estimates showed late Friday evening. Given the pent-up fan demand and the intense marketing, Disney had estimated that the movie would break the $100 million mark at the USA box office on its opening day.

The newest film in the George Lucas-created franchise – directed by J.J. People outside of the U.S. 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 sets new box office record. The film, which carries a production cost of at least $200 million, opened in almost all other foreign markets Friday.

“It is Fandango’s top-selling movie of all time, even before it has even hit theater screens”, said Fandango President Paul Yanover.

Caroline Ritter, 34, a truck driver, and firefighter Andrew Porters, 29, were among about 100 die-hard fans who camped outside Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre since December 5 for the opening of The Force Awakens. That was a significant hurdle for “Star Wars” to overcome.

The box office record for an opening weekend belongs to Universal’s “Jurassic World” which premiered to $208.8 million just six months ago. The current record-holder is Avatar, which generated US$2.8 billion worldwide after its December 2009 release.