George Lucas and J.J. Abrams at the world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The force is strong with the latest installment to the Star Wars movie franchise – to the tune of $247 million.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens blasted the previous North American opening-weekend record of $208.8 million set by Jurassic World back in June. It’s beating global debut records as well, edging past Jurassic World’s overall take $528 million to $524.9 million.
The movie’s quality looks to be a driving factor. It has a 95% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating by critics of 8.3/10. That level of excellence not only draws people to the theater, it can make them return for a second or even third viewing.
Additionally, the marketing effort behind The Force Awakens has been one of the largest in history. Walt Disney Co. leveraged the full power of its empire – including cruise ships, merchandise, television networks, theme parks and video games – to turn the film’s premiere into a worldwide event.
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Also aiding its popularity has been the blend of familiar cast members with a new generation of Star Wars actors. Those who are fond of the original films will be pleased to see the return of Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Carrie Fisher (General Leia Organa), while newcomers Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) bring fresh faces to the much-loved franchise.
Ridley’s Rey may be spurring additional success with female audiences as well. Star Wars has traditionally had a male-dominated following, but women and girls might find the story more welcoming now that it has a female protagonist.
The North American box-office total wasn’t the only record set by The Force Awakens. It also now owns the biggest opening day and biggest single day records, as well as being the widest December release of all time.
Next up: Avatar’s $2.7 billion highest-grossing film record. Can The Force Awakens surpass it?
“Do, or do not,” says Jedi Master Yoda. “There is no try.”
