‘Star Wars:
The Force Awakens’ shattered the domestic box office record with an
estimated $238 million in US and Canadian ticket sales through Sunday, a
staggering debut that re-established the celebrated space saga as a
global phenomenon under Walt Disney Co.
The first ‘Star Wars’ film in a decade took in a total of $517
million at box offices around the world, second only to the dinosaur
film ‘Jurassic World’, which had the benefit of an opening weekend that
included China, where ‘Force Awakens’ won’t open for weeks.
Financial and critical success for the film mark a victory for Disney
Chief Executive Bob Iger’s strategy of acquiring proven brands,
including Pixar Animation and comic book powerhouse Marvel, to fuel
Disney’s entertainment empire.
Over the weekend, fans revelled in the chance to visit the ‘Star
Wars’ galaxy for the first time in a decade. Filmgoers dressed as Jedi
or Sith, carried lightsabers and cheered when classic characters such as
Princess Leia or Chewbacca appeared on screen. Theatres added show
times to meet demand, Disney said.
‘Jurassic World’ opened in June with $208.8 million in the United States and Canada and a take of $525 million worldwide. ‘Force Awakens’ is the seventh instalment in the epic science-fiction franchise created by George Lucas in 1977. Disney plans four ‘Star Wars’ films through 2019, plus major
expansions at its US theme parks to incorporate the droids, spaceships
and otherworldly creatures of the universe Lucas invented. ‘Force
Awakens’ toys, clothing, home accessories and video games already
pervade stores ahead of Christmas. Nostalgia, plus a carefully planned, months-long release of film
trailers and character profiles boosted interest. Disney, which spent
more than $200 million to make ‘Force Awakens’, also created intrigue by
keeping the plot largely secret. Critics lauded the film’s throwback feel, doses of humour and the
performances of newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac.
Audiences awarded an “A” grade in polling by survey firm Cinema Score. Disney took steps to attract more women and girls to the series,
including casting Ridley as the star and running commercials during
shows such as ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’. Forty-two percent of
the weekend’s domestic audience was female, Disney said.‘Force Awakens’ could become the highest-grossing movie of all time,
box office analysts said. ‘Avatar’ now holds that title with $2.8
billion in global sales.The wild card is China, the world’s second-largest movie market,
where ‘Force Awakens’ opens on January 9. The last ‘Star Wars’ film in
2005 collected just $9 million there.
