This should come as no shock. ButStar Wars: The Force Awakensis already a box office behemoth, and it only officially opens today,December 18. Thelong-awaited sequelfirst debuted with Thursday Night Previews. And it has broken the previous record. Last night, theJ.J. Abramsdirected follow-up toStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jeditook in $57 million. This completely dethroned one Wizard who has just had his wand obliterated.
Back in 2011,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2broke the Thursday Preview Night record with $43.5 million. Butthe Forcewas strong withStar Wars 7, as it managed to pull in $13.5 million more than the final trip to Hogwarts. 47% of the $57 million came from 3D screenings. While IMAX generated $5.7 million of the take from 391 screens. This beats the previous IMAX record by nearly double the previous $3 million.
Most theaters began showing Star Wars: The Force Awakens at 7 pm. Back in 2011,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2didn’t open until Midnight. Things have changed since then, though. Following theThe Dark Knight Risesmass theater shooting in 2012, most theaters have done away with the Midnight preview screenings.The Force Awakenswas the exception, though, as some theater chains played the movie 24 hours around the clock last night, and plan on doing so again tonight.
Last night’s massive haul will be included in the Friday opening Day ticket sales. The biggest single day record still belongs toHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. Four years ago, it managed to pull in $91 million during its first Friday in release. This included the $43.4 million from Thursday preview screenings. Star Wars: The Force Awakens should have no problem besting those numbers.
As it stands right now,Jurassic Worldholds the record for biggest opening weekend. This past June, the sequel surprised everyone when it earned $208.8 million. This surpassed the $207.4 million thatMarvel’s The Avengersearned back in 2012. While that superhero epic managed to hold onto its record for three years, it looks likely thatJurassic Worldwill have to give up its crown after just a mere 6 months.
The fact that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been playing around the clock gives it an upper hand these other films did not have. Also opening this weekend is the comedySisters, starringAmy PoehlerandTina Fey. Some believed it would open in the mid-teens. Though, now some believe it will barely make it to $10 million. The sequelAlvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chipis also scheduled to have its big debut this weekend. What do you think? Will Star Wars: The Force Awakens break ever standing box office record? Perhaps it will create a few new ones of its own.
