Such an outcome would surprise few analysts, but the numbers were nevertheless eye-popping. Global sales reached $72.7 million through Thursday in 44 markets.
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“Our sole focus has been creating a film that delivers that one-of-a-kind Star Wars experience, and director J.J. Abrams, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, and the Lucasfilm team have outdone themselves”, said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. Lara Tshering takes a photograph of her brother Ugyen Tshering as he stands next to the Star Wars movie poster during opening night of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Disney’s biggest worry has been that moviegoers will be too daunted by sold-out shows and long lines. This breaks the previous $209-million domestic record set this summer by Jurassic World. The sports channel “now appears poised to become Disney’s most troubled business as consumer behavior shifts rapidly” to digital video… Disney said theaters were adding showtimes to meet “unprecedented demand”.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens made its way across the global landscape (except for China) this weekend to post an incredible estimated $517 million global gross.
/ The box office has awakened.
It collected $US120.5 million on Friday, its first full day in domestic cinemas, the highest single-day ticket sales ever.
To put the huge weekend by “Awakens” in perspective, it made more than the opening weekends of “The Hobbit” trilogy (the big December release of the last three years) combined.
The Disney film opened in 4,134 theaters.
Of that $57-million, almost half came from 3-D screenings, and roughly 10-percent came from IMAX screenings.
“It might join the $2bn club worldwide, and maybe, just maybe, be the highest grossing film of all-time”.
“Titanic”, another Cameron movie, is placed second with $2.18 billion.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest also got into the spirit, posing for pictures with R2-D2 and two Stormtroopers in the press briefing room.
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There’s no denying that Star Wars: The Force Awakens will continue to rake in hundreds of millions, but only time will tell if it has the strength and endurance to climb to the very top of the box office charts.
