On the back of positive reviews and a wave of hype, Star Wars: The Force Awakens netted $4.5 million on its opening weekend, smashing a record previously held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II.
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“This is a record that will stand for a long time”, Jeff Bock, an analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told Variety on Sunday, December 20.
The 73-year-old actor – who has reprised the role of Han Solo for the much-anticipated new movie – feels “proud” of the J.J. Abrams-directed film and touched by the support of fans. Whatever the case, $238 million is well above the previous USA record-holder, Jurassic World, which made $208.8 million during its opening.
And that’s not all.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” collection prediction is that it is expected to rake in more than $2.7 billion worldwide. The film has broken opening day records globally as well – From the United Kingdom ($24.7 million) to Germany ($12.7 million ), to France ($11.2 million), Australia ($10.4 million), and the list goes on.
“It was bigger than a movie”, Dave Hollis, Disney’s distribution chief, said.
More important, with audiences in the USA and most foreign countries embracing the movie, Disney is setting up “Star Wars” to be a success in many media for years to come, including annual big-screen sequels and spinoffs, merchandise, television shows and theme-park attractions.
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“When you cue up all the footage and things that were shown, it’s really not a lot of the film, and I think that’s what makes it incredibly special”.
