‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Opening Weekend Box Office Smashes Records

The ninth and tenth spots in North America were held down by a pair of Bollywood releases: “Dilwale” ($1.9 million) and “Bajirao Mastani” ($1.7 million).

Such an outcome would surprise few analysts, but the numbers were nevertheless eye-popping. This by far exceeds the existing $91 million United States dollars first day record set by ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.’ Additionally, it is also the first Star Wars movie to surpass $100 million USD in a single day!

Critics lavished praise on Force Awakens, which features newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac alongside original stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. He noted that he and his wife were looking to parse out more details they might have missed when they first saw the new film. Saturday and Sunday will depend more on traditional walk-up business. Disney said movie theaters were continuing to add screenings to meet “unprecedented demand”.

New studio estimates and Rentrak further estimate that the J.J. Abrams-directed Force Awakens will destroy the weekend box office record with at least a $225 million weekend total.

Still, that’s not the only record “The Force Awakens” has smashed. Playing in 4,134 theaters, “The Force Awakens” is the widest December release ever attempted. There are probably plenty of repeat viewings happening among fans, but The Force Awakens may not have the staying power of Avatar or Titanic, the films that have the top two spots in both the domestic and worldwide box office charts.

Disney paid $US4 billion for Lucasfilm in 2012.

More important, with audiences in the USA and most foreign countries embracing the movie, Disney is setting up “Star Wars” to be a success in many media for years to come, including annual big-screen sequels and spinoffs, merchandise, television shows and theme-park attractions.

32 – Number of years between “The Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens”.