White House Press secretary Josh Earnest is joined by Star Wars Storm Troopers and R2D2 in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Friday, Dec. 18, 2015.
Advertisement
US President Barack Obama had a special screening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at the White House with families of fallen soldiers, ahead of the first family’s annual holiday trip to Hawaii.
Star Wars frenzy has swept the celeb world with anyone and everyone getting involved. Pre-sales for the movie hit a staggering $100 million.
The previous first day record belonged to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
In such rarified territory, Disney has been cautious about overestimating the box-office force of J.J. Abrams’ seventh chapter in George Lucas’ space saga.
Disney execs estimate that the film is on track for a $200 million opening weekend, a rather conservative estimate at this point.
Internationally, the film took in $14.1 million in sales on its Wednesday debut overseas.
A gaggle of Stormtroopers and the droid R2-D2 were spotted in West Wing Friday, December 18 as the seat of United States executive power succumbed to intergalactic-sized hype around the new blockbuster Star Wars movie.
Here’s the thing, these previews roll into the numbers for the following day, so that $57 million will count towards The Force Awakens’ Friday.
Disney said sold-out cinemas were adding showtimes to cope with surging demand. Sequels and spinoffs are already in development for years to come, not to mention an entire corner of Disneyland devoted to the franchise.
The film picks up some years after 1983’s Return of the Jedi, throwing the story forward with new characters and catching up with familiar faces.
Advertisement
The massive sum is leaving industry experts predicting that it could become the highest-grossing film of all time. “There’s a screening of Star Wars” for people who lost a family member in the Iraq war”.
