Latest Star Wars franchise is second only to Jurassic World, but has not yet opened in China, the world’s second-largest movie market

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Star Wars: The Force Awakens shattered box office records with an estimated $517m in worldwide ticket sales up until Sunday, a staggering debut that re-established the celebrated space saga as a global phenomenon under Disney.

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The first Star Wars film in a decade recorded the biggest domestic opening in Hollywood’s history, collecting $238m over the weekend in the US and Canada. It also set records in Britain, Australia, Russia and elsewhere as fans embraced a new chapter in the galactic battle between good and evil.

Thousands joined a mock lightsaber battle in Los Angeles, where an Australian couple married while in line for the film. Barack Obama ended a news conference on Friday saying he needed to head to a White House screening of the movie, and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton closed Saturday’s Democratic debate with: “May the Force be with you.”

“I don’t think ever in the history of movies has their been more hype leading up to release of a film,” said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. “This is a huge, huge win.”

The film’s financial and critical success mark a victory for Disney’s chief executive Bob Iger’s strategy of acquiring proven brands, including Pixar Animation and comic book powerhouse Marvel, to fuel Disney’s entertainment empire.

Disney purchased Star Wars producer Lucasfilm for $4bn in 2012 as part of his bet on big-budget films.

Cinema attendance in the US and Canada, the world’s largest film market, has barely changed in a decade as online and mobile platforms exploded. Subscribers to Disney’s sports powerhouse, ESPN, have shrunk, a much-noted sign of pressure on traditional media. The turnout for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an encouraging result for Disney, rival media companies and cinemas.

“We have so many options for entertainment, yet look at where everyone is flocking this weekend – to the multiplex,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box office tracking firm Rentrak. “Disney has this down to a science.”

Global sales finished second only to the dinosaur film Jurassic World, which in its June opening garnered $525m worldwide, including China, where the Star Wars film will not open for weeks. Jurassic World took $208.8m at domestic cinemas in its first weekend.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the seventh instalment in the epic science-fiction franchise created by George Lucas in 1977.

Filmgoers revelled in the return to the Star Wars galaxy, dressing as Jedi or Sith, carrying lightsabers and cheering when classic characters such as Princess Leia or Chewbacca appeared on screen. Cinemas added showtimes to meet demand.

Disney plans four Star Wars movies up to 2019, plus major expansions at its US theme parks to incorporate the droids, spaceships and otherworldly creatures of the universe Lucas invented. Toys, clothing, home accessories and video games already pervade stores ahead of Christmas.

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Reuters analysis last week calculated that Disney might be on track to triple its Lucasfilm investment and earn an average of $669m from the franchise in each of the next six years.

Nostalgia, plus a carefully planned, months-long release of film trailers and character profiles boosted interest. Disney, which spent more than $200m to make the latest film, also created intrigue by keeping the plot largely secret.

Critics lauded the movie’s throwback feel, doses of humor and the performances of newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. Audiences awarded an “A” grade in polling by survey firm CinemaScore.

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.

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The film could become the highest-grossing movie of all time, box office analysts said. Avatar holds that title with $2.8bn in global sales.

The wild card is China, the world’s second-largest movie market, where the film opens on 9 January. The last Star Wars movie in 2005 collected just $9m there.

Disney made an effort to build buzz, placing 500 miniature Stormtroopers at the Great Wall and striking a deal to stream the six earlier Star Wars films through video service Tencent.