Star Wars Just Broke an Epic Box Office Record
Last month we reported that in a span of 12 days, Star Wars: The Force Awakens managed to rake in $1 billion in ticket sales globally. As of Tuesday, the film was just shy of the record at $758.2 million.
The seventh installment in the iconic sci-fi series surpassed the $760.5 million mark previously set by Avatar in a record-breaking 20 days of release, according to early box office numbers.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has set the domestic box office record with $764.4 million and counting, Walt Disney Studios released on Thursday. It is also expected to beat Avatar’s record in worldwide gross sales since time memorial for any movie featured. “The Force Awakens” is in 21st place, with “Avatar” and two of the original “Star Wars” movies (“The Empire Strikes Back” and “A New Hope”) ahead of it. With a debut in China this week, we’ll see just how much people the world over will support Star Wars as it pushes to become the biggest ever – everywhere. “The Force Awakens” has earned $1.6 billion to date, as compared to “Avatar’s” $2.8 billion.
“There has indeed been an awakening – and it’s all thanks to you”, Disney said, in a statement released on Wednesday. J.J. Abrams’ movie also now sits behind Jurassic World and Titanic, but The Force Awakens has yet to open in China; the film will arrive in the world’s second-largest movie-going market on January 9th, although – as Stephen Colbert pointed out – the Star Wars franchise isn’t a phenomenon in that country like it is in other parts of the world.
PHOTO:John Boyega as Finn and Daisy Ridley as Rey in a scene from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.