Industry analysts predicted that the seventh installment in the Star Wars franchise would do very well at the box office on it opening weekend, but it did far better than many were anticipating. It is currently estimated that The Force Awakens will have brought in $238 million in its opening weekend (including late Thursday showings). The previous record holder was Jurassic World which earned $208.8 million earlier this summer. The movie was most likely helped by extremely positive reviews from both critics and fans alike, leading to repeat viewings on opening weekend alone.
In an article in Variety, Disney distribution chief Dave Hollis tries to explain the success of this massive opening weekend in saying, “It was bigger than a movie, it became a cultural event.” Interestingly enough, Hollis contends that many children may have yet to experience the film for the first (or repeat time). “There’s going to be a lot of repeat business. We’re going to get a big burst when schools get out.” To that point, Variety reports that 71% of the opening weekend audience was made up of adults, compared to only 20% children. The same article suggests that males purchased 58% of the tickets to shows Thursday-Sunday.
For even more context, BoxOfficeMojo.com is keeping a running list of the records being broken by Episode 7’s box office haul. After only being in theatres for only three and a half days, the film has broken 14 national and international box office records. The full list of records broken (current as of this writing) on BoxOfficeMojo.com can be read below:
- Largest Thursday Previews: $57 million
Previous Record: $43.5 million (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2) - Largest Friday, Opening Day, Single Day: $119.1 million (estimated)
Previous Record: $91 million (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2) - Domestic Opening Weekend: $247.9 million (estimate)
Previous Record: $208.8 million (Jurassic World) - Highest Per Theater Average (Wide Opening): $59,982 (estimate)
Previous Record: $48,855 / 4,274 theaters (Jurassic World) - Top Opening Weekend for PG-13 Rated Film: $247.9 million (estimate)
Previous Record: $208.8 million (Jurassic World) - Top Holiday Opening Weekend**: $247.9 million (estimate)
Previous Record: $158 million (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) - Biggest Weekend Overall (Top 12 Gross): $305.5 million
Previous Record: $266 million (June 12-14, 2015) - Biggest December Weekend (Top 12 Gross): $305.5 million
Previous Record: $259.9 million (Dec 25-27, 2009) - December Single Day: $119.1 million (estimated)
Previous Record: $37.13 million (The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey) - Widest December Opening: 4,134 theaters
Previous Record: 4,045 theaters (The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey) - December Opening Weekend: $247.9 million (estimate)
Previous Record: $84.62 million (The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey) - Fastest to $100 Million: 1 Day
Previous Record: 2 Days (Jurassic World) - Global IMAX Opening Record: $48 million
Previous Record: $44.1 million (Jurassic World) - Domestic IMAX Opening Record: $30.1 million
Previous Record: $20.9 million (Jurassic World)
Update 12/22/15: The totals have been updated to $247.9 million domestically for the opening weekend and $528.9 million worldwide.
News sources: BoxOfficeMojo and Variety
Photo credit: Disney
