Star Wars VII earns US$1bil in record time
THE STAR
LOS ANGELES: Disney's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," on Sunday hit the US$1bil mark in global box office at record pace, according to Rentrak.
China's Xinhua news agency reported that the blockbuster installment, the seventh of the kind, posted the biggest second-weekend box office total ever recorded in North America by raking in more than US$153mil in the United States and Canada, according to box office figures gathered by Rentrak.
The latest instalment of the "Star Wars" franchise took over the previous second weekend record of US$106.6mil set by "Jurassic World" earlier this year by US$46.9mil.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has grossed US$544mil in North America since it was released in North America 10 days ago.
China's Xinhua news agency reported that the blockbuster installment, the seventh of the kind, posted the biggest second-weekend box office total ever recorded in North America by raking in more than US$153mil in the United States and Canada, according to box office figures gathered by Rentrak.
The latest instalment of the "Star Wars" franchise took over the previous second weekend record of US$106.6mil set by "Jurassic World" earlier this year by US$46.9mil.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has grossed US$544mil in North America since it was released in North America 10 days ago.
Of this weekend's overall gross for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, IMAX grosses made up an estimated US$19mil.
Paramount's comedy film "Daddy's Home," starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, came in the second place in North America box office this weekend, which took in US$38.8mil in its first weekend showings at 3,271 theaters. The film only got 28 per cent positive rating from critics on RottenTomatoes, but audience still gave it a solid "B+" rating on CinemaScore.
The film "Joy," directed by David O. Russell and starring Jennifer Lawrence, was ranked the third. It was shown at 2,896 locations for opening and grossed US$17.5 million. "Joy" received a good "B+" rating from first-night moviegoers on CinemaScore and got 57 percent approval rate from critics on RottenTomatoes.
The fourth was "Sisters," a comedy which made US$13.9mil in ticket earnings for its second weekend. And the fifth was "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip," with US$12.7mil in ticket earnings.
Rounding out the rest 10 most-popular movies of the weekend were "Concussion" (US$11mil), "The Big Short" (US$10.5mil), "Point Break" (US$10.2mil), "Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2" (US$5.3mil) and "The Hateful Eight" (US$4.5mil).
Paramount's comedy film "Daddy's Home," starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, came in the second place in North America box office this weekend, which took in US$38.8mil in its first weekend showings at 3,271 theaters. The film only got 28 per cent positive rating from critics on RottenTomatoes, but audience still gave it a solid "B+" rating on CinemaScore.
The film "Joy," directed by David O. Russell and starring Jennifer Lawrence, was ranked the third. It was shown at 2,896 locations for opening and grossed US$17.5 million. "Joy" received a good "B+" rating from first-night moviegoers on CinemaScore and got 57 percent approval rate from critics on RottenTomatoes.
The fourth was "Sisters," a comedy which made US$13.9mil in ticket earnings for its second weekend. And the fifth was "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip," with US$12.7mil in ticket earnings.
Rounding out the rest 10 most-popular movies of the weekend were "Concussion" (US$11mil), "The Big Short" (US$10.5mil), "Point Break" (US$10.2mil), "Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2" (US$5.3mil) and "The Hateful Eight" (US$4.5mil).
Star Wars breaks another record as The Force Awakens becomes the fastest movie ever to make $1bn at the box office
- The Force Awakens has made $1.09 billion globally as of Sunday
- The movie surpassed $1billion on its 12th day in theaters, making it the fastest-ever film to reach that level
- Star Wars' seventh installment took in $153.5 million in North America and $133.3 million overseas over the weekend
- The former record holder was Jurassic World, which took 13 days to reach a billion
- The Force remains strong with the new Star Wars movie, which just surpassed $1 billion in global ticket sales on Sunday, on its 12th day in theaters, making it the fastest-ever film to reach that level.
Over the Christmas weekend, Star Wars: The Force Awakens took in $153.5 million in North America and $133.3 million overseas, bringing the worldwide total to $1.09 billion, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Star Wars has rung up $544.6 million in U.S. and Canada ticket sales and $546 million internationally.
The movie, the seventh installment in the newly rebooted Star Wars franchise, opened in some international markets on December 16 before rolling out in North America the following day.
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People watch the barricades putting erected for the The Force Awakens premiere in Los Angeles on Dec. 14
Daisy Ridley and BB-8 Droid in a scene from The Force Awakens, which topped $1 billion in box office on Sunday
Star Wars fans queue for a position on the red carpet in Leicester Square in London ahead of the European premiere of Star Wars
Global phenomenon: Fans line up in Portland, Maine (left) and in New York City (right)
The UK took in $97.2 million; Germany with $54.3 million; France, $47.8 million; Australia, $35.7 million; and Japan, $31.3 million; according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It shattered the record held by Comcast Corp-owned Universal Pictures' Jurassic World, which took 13 days after its release to gross $1 billion, according to industry research firm Rentrak.
The new Star Wars movie had already topped Jurassic World for the biggest opening weekend ever with $529 million globally.
Star Wars fans raise their lightsabers during Lightsaber Battle LA in Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, California on December 18 - the movie smashed the opening night record in the U.S. and Canada
Chewbacca and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in the new Star Wars film The Force Awakens
Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) run from stormtroopers in the latest installation of Star Wars
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' smashes box office record
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Star Wars is set to open in China, the world's No. 2 movie market, on Jan. 9. China is crucial if Disney's first foray into the world of Jedi knights is to earn a spot among the top-grossing films of all time.
On Friday, The Force Awakens set a U.S. and Canadian record for largest box office on Christmas day with $49.3 million, Disney said. That topped the previous record of $24.6 million set by Sherlock Holmes in 2009.
Walt Disney Co said in a statement on Saturday that Star Wars: The Force Awakens had generated box office receipts of $890.3 million globally through December 25
Disney purchased the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas' Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.05 billion, and has planned for a new trilogy of films as well as standalone installments through 2019.
The franchise will also be incorporated at U.S. Disney theme parks, bringing to life the droids, spaceships and otherworldly creatures of the universe that Lucas created in 1977 and is set in a galaxy far, far away
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