Disney, which bought the rights to the “Star Wars” franchise from its creator George Lucas for $4 billion (roughly Rs. 26,525 crores) in 2012, has built up the hype around “The Force Awakens”, rolling out a well-orchestrated marketing campaign that has left fans wanting more.
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“This represents a new record for the industry and portends a massive and potentially record-breaking opening day and weekend for the film”, said Paul Dergarabedian, of box office tracker Rentrak.
Studio estimates previously had this number at $100 million – already a record for an opening day – beating Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 in 2011 which made $91.1 million.
As for the entire weekend, analysts are predicting that Episode VII could go on to a truly impressive $250 million.
Couple that with tying in new favorites, new adventures and new surprises sure to please even the most ardent of fans, the latest Star Wars film is a certainly a crowd pleasing event.
Disney said sold-out cinemas were adding showtimes to cope with surging demand. R2-D2 also interacted with reporters by playing the Star Wars theme song and some patriotic tunes.
Imax and 3-D screenings are helping to propel the record gross. Disney said that 47 per cent of the Thursday box office came from 3-D showings and $5.7 million from Imax screens. The American Film Institute listed it among its top 10 films of the year. That strong word of mouth will help “The Force Awakens” attract the kind of repeat viewings that made James Cameron’s “Avatar” and “Titanic” the highest grossing films of all time.
President Barack Obama slipped in a reference to the film during his end of year press conference before he the holiday season.
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Critics applauded “Force Awakens”, which features newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac alongside original stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
