It’s safe to say that people were just slightly keen for the newest instalment in the Star Wars series, The Force Awakens.
Worldwide, the film has managed to pull in $US 130 million ($AU 180 million) in the first two days of its release, and has sliced through box office records like a lightsaber slicing off one of Luke Skywalker’s major appendages.
In the U.S. and Canada, the film pulled in $US 57 million ($AU 80 million) from its midnight screenings, beating the previous record of $US 43.5 million set by Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 2011.
Earlier this week, ticketing pre-sales in Australia had already surpassed $AU 15 million, and cinema bosses are predicting it will surpass the $AU 100 million mark to become the second-most, or possibly the most successful film ever in this country.
The Force Awakens has also enjoyed the biggest opening day ever in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
In France and Italy, it had to settle for the biggest ever opening in December, which is still fairly big; it opens on January 9 in China, and will likely do insane box office there as well.
There will likely be more box office records smashed in the days and weeks to come. In summary, however, resistance to Disney / Lucasfilm appears to be futile.
Story: Vanity Fair
Photo: Chesnot / Getty
