Director JJ Abrams (L) and producer Kathleen Kennedy (C) and cast member Daisy Ridley arrive at the China premiere of the film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Shanghai, China, December 27, 2015.

Director JJ Abrams (L) and producer Kathleen Kennedy (C) and cast member Daisy Ridley arrive at the China premiere of the film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Shanghai, China, December 27, 2015. Reuters/Aly Song

The force has awakened and none can withstand it. J. J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” movie that was internationally distributed by Walt Disney has smashed all North American box office records. It has surpassed James Cameron directed “Avatar,” that previously held the coveted title. “The Force Awakens” is now the highest-grossing domestic film of all time crossing the $800 million mark and taking away the throne from “Avatar” that grossed $760.5 million.

According to a Walt Disney report, the new “Star Wars” film, since its Dec. 16, 2015 global release, has amassed a global total of $1,557.3 million ($758.2 million domestically and $799.1 million). The film debuted in US and Canada on Dec. 18, 2015. The domestic annual industry box office collection for the first two weeks was $11 billion, an all-time high.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” had the biggest global IMAX debut and crossed $152 million in IMAX in just 19 days. Moreover, it has the biggest international debut in December history ($281 million). The movie will be hitting China theatres, its final international market on Jan. 9, 2016. The 2015 “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is also one of AFI’s top 10 films of the previous year.

[“Star Wars” Spoilers] According to Business Insider and The Sun, the “Star Wars” Disney movie, though shows a galaxy far away from Earth, much of the scenes were shot at Pinewood Studios, located near London, Britain. Of course, the film’s cast and crew also travelled the world to give that out-of-this-world experience. Director J. J. Abrams, in a new video by Discover Ireland, talked about the importance of filming in real locations.

“When I saw 'Star Wars' for the first time, it was all practical and real. You knew it when you saw the movie, so I felt that the standard had to be authenticity. The standard had to be reality,” he says.

Some of the locations where fans watch their favourite “Star Wars” characters create magic are Puzzlewood, Forest of Dean, Royal Air Force Greenham Common, Berkshire, Rub’ al Khali desert, Abu Dhabi, Skellig Michael, Ireland and Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland.

Watch “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Exclusive: Behind the Scenes with J. J. Abrams in Ireland here.

Source: YouTube/ discoverireland