What it’s like seeing ‘Star Wars’ during the madness of opening night

The seventh Star Wars movie is expected to sell more than $US220 million of tickets at U.S. and Canadian theatres through Sunday, beating the record $US208.8 million for Jurassic World in June, Walt Disney Co said on Saturday.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest appeared unannounced at the lectern of the briefing room with the Star Wars characters, including Darth Vader’s henchmen.

That means “The Force Awakens” could also eclipse the global opening weekend record of $316.1 million by “Jurassic World” – along with the dino movie’s worldwide opening record of $524.9 million.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is playing now in theaters. The newest Star Wars installment made three times as much money in two days than Fantastic Four did during the entirety of its disastrous $56 million box office run. “The Force Awakens” was heading toward a Thursday night-Friday total of more than $120 million domestically, said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney.

But so far, “The Force Awakens” is attracting the interest of seemingly everyone.

In the United Kingdom, some chains have increased their prices for the film.

It collected $US120.5 million on Friday, its first full day in domestic cinemas, the highest single-day ticket sales ever. Odeon, for example, has imposed a ticket surcharge of up to £2.

The Force Awakens – to the surprise of no one – is a force to be reckoned with at the box office.

According to industry journal Screen International, though, such an outcome “remains a distinct possibility” given the film’s current box office performance.

Directed by J.J. Abrams, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” stars franchise veterans Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker, joined by newcomers John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie and Max von Sydow.