Star Wars force holds U.S. box office

Disney distribution Executive Vice President Dave Hollis says the expected $US53 million debut weekend in China was “spectacular” given the film is the first Star Wars episode many Chinese people have ever seen.

The China figures represent the highest Saturday or Sunday movie opening in the country in industry history, the Disney film studio said in a statement.

James Cameron’s other top blockbuster, 2009’s “Avatar”, is safe for now atop the global-gross mountain, at $2.788-billion.

Its global total now stands at $1.73 billion, according to The Walt Disney Co., passing Jurassic World, with $1.67 billion.

The movie has dominated the North American box office for a fourth consecutive weekend, becoming that market’s top grossing film of all time with $812.7 million in cumulative sales.

That’s because the film finally debuted in China, where “Star Wars” isn’t the cultural powerhouse it is elsewhere around the globe.

Disney has marketed the Force Awakens aggressively in China, where the Star Wars franchise doesn’t have the same legacy as in North America or Europe. Nomura Holdings estimates The Force Awakens will gross as much as 1.5 billion yuan (S$326 million) in China, which would fall short of breaking records set a year ago.

While the $41.6 million weekend for “Star Wars” was great, DiCaprio and his bear came snapping at its heels with a $38 million nationwide expansion for ‘The Revenant’.

Paramount’s “Daddy’s Home”, a comedy about a step-father (Will Ferrell) competing with his wife’s first husband (Mark Wahlberg) for her kid’s affections, took third place with $15 million.

Combined with its grosses from the two weeks it spent in limited release, “The Revenant” has now made $39.5 million.

Sisters, starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey as siblings suffering from arrested development, made $7.2 million for a slot in fifth place.

Quentin Tarantino suffered from the surprising strength of The Revenant as his Western The Hateful Eight dropped down to #6 in its second wide release weekend. It has made $46 million in total, which is a far cry from the last two collaborations Director David O. Russell had with Jennifer Lawrence.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip was down three spots to #8 in its fourth weekend, bringing in $5.5 million.