Yet despite, Star Wars’ massive North American success, Avatar remains the highest-grossing film of all time globally.
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Force did about $6 million on Thursday in domestic box office, bringing that total, already an all-time record (without inflation adjustment), to $770 million.
Disney noted that the “Avatar” figure came over the life of the film, while “The Force Awakens” broke the record in just 20 days. Having only been in theaters for less than a month, however, it will probably be a different story when Star Wars eventually ends its theatrical run.
It’s not just how well the latest episode does domestically, but the overseas market can contribute up to two thirds for a big studio film’s revenues, BoxOffice Media’s managing editor, Daniel Loría, explains.
The film also scored the biggest US Christmas Day box office takings in history with $49.3m.
But Forbes notes that the worldwide box office is an entirely different issue. It is also expected to beat Avatar’s record in worldwide gross sales since time memorial for any movie featured. The film is now officially… the highest-grossing domestic film of all time.
This photo provided by Disney/Lucasfilm shows Daisy Ridley, right, as Rey, and John Boyega as Finn, in a scene from the film, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, directed by J.J. Abrams.
The film took opening weekend records in 18 other countries as well, including the U.K., Germany, Australia, and Russian Federation.
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“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is in 21st place behind classics such as “The Sound of Music”, “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial” and “Titanic”.
