The Walt Disney Co. on Saturday said the film made an estimated $120.5 million from Thursday night previews and opening day Friday.
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Interest extended to global markets, where the movie brought in $72.7 million in 44 countries.
“The Force Awakens”, directed by J.J. Abrams, stars Daisy Ridley and John Boyega in the key roles as Rey and Finn along with original “Star Wars” stars Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Carrie Fisher as General Leia.
Industry analysts expect the movie to take $200m (£134.3m) at the USA box office this weekend, to become one of the biggest openings of all time. Some $100 million in advance tickets were sold for the movie’s Thursday night debut.
The opening weekend record is now held by “Jurassic World”, which premiered earlier this year to $208.8 million at the box office.
And while many analysts expected the film to collect $1.5 billion to $2 billion globally, “The Force Awakens” is now predicted to gross $2.6 billion worldwide. Greenfield said the success of Force Awakens would not offset the impact of subscriber losses at ESPN.
Such a positive reaction for “The Force Awakens” may attract the kind of repeat viewings that made James Cameron’s “Avatar” and “Titanic” the highest grossing films of all time.
Disney, which bought the rights to the “Star Wars” franchise from its creator George Lucas for $4 billion in 2012, has built up the hype around “The Force Awakens”, rolling out a well-orchestrated marketing campaign that has left fans wanting more.
The screening of the much-anticipated movie that opened in theatres across the USA on Friday was for the members of Gold Star families, an organisation of family members who have lost relatives in military combat.
Strong reviews for the film, which is set 30 years after “Return of the Jedi“, have added to the fervor for “The Force Awakens”.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest also appeared unannounced at the lectern of the briefing room, flanked by Stormtroopers. That is until the spinoff movies start rolling in and America rediscovers their love for Lobot and Lando in, Star Wars: Among The Clouds.
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Even the White House is not immune to The Force.
