The Force is still strong in the new film Star Wars: The Force Awakens which exceeded a billion dollars in global box office this weekend, becoming the fastest film to reach this number in history.
Walt Disney Co. said on Saturday in a statement that the new film directed by J.J. Adams generated box office revenues of $546 million worldwide until 25 December and breaks a new record by exceeding one billion dollars in the shortest time.
The latest version of Star Wars was released in some international markets on December 16, before its release in the United States the next day. According to Rentrak, the film will exceed the mark of one billion dollars, being the twelfth day since it was released on the screens.
To date, the film had reached the billion dollars faster than Jurassic World from Universal Pictures, owned by Comcast Corp, which took 13 days to exceed the number after its release earlier this year, according to Rentrak.
Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens already surpassed Jurassic World as the biggest release in history with $529 million worldwide. However, when it comes to all-time box office sales, two James Cameron’s films still hold the record, with Avatar ($2.79 billion) and Titanic ($2.19 billion).
Disney stated that the film collected $49.3 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada, and $546 million worldwide. In just 10 days it became the fifth most successful film in U.S. history.
On Friday, Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens set a box office record for Christmas Day in the United States and Canada with $ 49.3 million, Disney said. This exceeds the previous record of 24.6 million dollars set by Sherlock Holmes in 2009.
New release Daddy’s Home, the latest comedy presented by Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, did better than industry projections with an estimated $38.8 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That puts the film in second place for the weekend. David O. Russell’s new drama starring Jennifer Lawrence, Joy, debuted in third place with $17.5 million.
The new movie features actors who made their marks in the first trilogy of the space opera, such as Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, but it now introduces new stars such as Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac with a plot that takes place some 30 years after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi.
Source: Huffington Entretainment