On Wednesday, just 20 days after its release, the latest installment in the Star Wars franchise topped Avatar to become the all-time highest-grossing film at the American box office.
Disney said the seventh film in the “Star Wars” saga had grossed $758.2 million through Tuesday, when it took in $8 million, and surpassed on Wednesday the $760.5 million earned by James Cameron’s Oscar-winning sci-fi epic “Avatar.”
“This afternoon, with early box office results in, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ became the highest-grossing film of all time in the domestic market,” Disney said in a statement, without providing figures.
The “humbled and grateful” company thanked its fans for helping it reach the milestone, saying that without them “there is no Star Wars.”
“There has indeed been an awakening — and it’s all thanks to you,” it said.
At $1.56 billion in global earnings, “The Force Awakens” still has some work ahead on that scale to overtake “Avatar” ($2.79 billion) or another Cameron blockbuster, “Titanic” ($2.19 billion).
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After months of secrecy and anticipation, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is thrilling fans Worldwide.
Laska Model Star Girl Nilu, who wears her love of “Star Wars” in the form of R2-D2 , bought tickets in October for the first showing in Sri Lanka at Majestic Cinema.
She will be among thousands of devotees who praised the space saga’s latest installment. The film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and fans internationally.
The most anticipated film in the galaxy opened globally Thursday (17th), setting international and pre-sale box-office records and delighting moviegoers who’ve had opening-night tickets in hand for months.
All over the world, “Star Wars” enthusiasts toted lightsabers and wore character costumes to packed opening-night showings of “The Force Awakens.” They laughed and cheered and gasped together, illuminating their sabers in the theater during key scenes.
More than $100 million in tickets have been presold in North America. The movie ticket service Fandango said it has already sold more tickets for “The Force Awakens” than any movie over its entire theatrical run.
Not everyone in the opening-night audience was dazzled, though. Michael Danke of Los Angeles, who said his friend waited in line for 52 hours for their tickets, was disappointed.
“I was kind of looking forward to a futuristic, bitchin’ movie, but it was an old ‘Star Wars’ movie,” he said. “They did it old style.”
That nostalgia worked for Tony Brennan, who said he “can’t get off of that high that I’m on” after seeing the film with the opening-night crowd in Hollywood.
“It’s definitely worth all the hype,” he said. “I like how they bring back the old quotes and old scenery and old people… It passed all of our expectations. I’m watching it five, six, seven more times.”
