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‘Star Wars 7’ Shatters Thursday Box Office Record with $57M

That is far beyond the prior record for a Thursday night opening of $43.5 million set by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2” in 2011. “Force Awakens” might also speed past “Jurassic World’s” worldwide opening weekend record of $316.1 million as well as its global opening record of $524.9 million. “The Force Awakens” cracked the $100 million mark less than 24 hours after it started rolling out in theatres on December 17. Pre-sales for the movie hit a staggering $100 million.

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The figure shatters the previous record, which was set by “Jurassic World” earlier this year when it premiered to $208.8 million.


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Critics lauded the movie’s throwback feel, doses of humor and the performances of newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac.


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Disney plans four “Star Wars” movies through 2019, plus major expansions at its US theme parks to incorporate the droids, spaceships and otherworldly creatures of the universe Lucas invented.

Just getting hold of one of the first tickets for The Force Awakens would be enough for most Star Wars fans. BoxOffice adds to that report, saying that 47% of those receips came from 3-D ticket sales, with IMAX accounting for $5.7m.

With the seventh instalment of the movie series opening last week, the franchise is once again staring at a record-breaking streak of collections from around the world. Box Office Mojo predicted yesterday that the film could rake in $231 million in its opening weekend, but analysts there now say that number “may be in jeopardy of being too low”.

This all comes after studio estimates showed that The Force Awakens exploded out of the box office at Thursday night previews, taking a record $57 million.

Irish Star Wars fans are clamouring to check out the new offering from JJ Abrams, which was partly filmed on Skellig Michael in Co Kerry.

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.

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Over on the other side of the Atlantic, Star Wars has brought in $57m (£38m) upon its release in the U.S. and Canada.

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