LOS ANGELES (AP) -- To say that the force is strong with this one is an understatement.
"Star
Wars: The Force Awakens" brought in a galactic $238 million over the
weekend, making it the biggest North American debut of all time
according to studio estimates on Sunday.
The
Walt Disney Co. earnings destroy the previous opening record set by
Universal's "Jurassic World," which drew $208.8 million this summer.
Internationally,
the film brought in $279 million, bringing its global gross to $517
million - second only to "Jurassic World's" global bow of $525 million.
But the dinosaurs had the added benefit of China - "Star Wars" won't
open there until Jan. 9.
This is just the
latest in a laundry list of records set by J.J. Abrams' film, the
seventh in the franchise, which had analysts anticipating a debut
anywhere from $150 million to $300 million.
The
"X-factor" was quality. While "The Force Awakens" drew enormous
pre-sales, the film was kept under lockdown from the press and critics
until mere days before it was released to the public. Reviews turned out
to be stellar (95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), as did early audience
reaction, who gave the film an A CinemaScore.
Rentrak's
Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian said that's the key element
that may push the film to the $2 billion mark by the end of its run.
Many are already going back for a second helping.
"The
enthusiasm has really turned into a cultural event," said Dave Hollis,
Disney's executive vice president of theatrical distribution. "It's
unbelievable."
"It feels historic. The
marketing team has embarked on a two-plus year journey to create this
event feel," Hollis added. "It's hard to think you could replicate this,
but never say never."
Males overwhelmingly drove the astronomical earnings, comprising 58 percent of the audience.
"Many
of the bigger films of the past few years have been driven by that
often marginalized female audience," Dergarabedian said. "This proves
that if you put the right film in the marketplace, the guys will show up
in big numbers. You can still break records with one gender being the
dominant one."
He predicted that over time,
Daisy Ridley's protagonist may help even the gender breakdown. Hollis
agreed, noting that the breakdown evened out across the weekend too.
Friday audiences were 63 percent male, he said.
The
film also drew mainly adults, who made up 71 percent of the audience.
Teens accounted for only 9 percent, but those numbers may go up in the
coming weeks as holiday vacations kick in.
IMAX,
3D and other premium large format screens further helped drive the
massive earnings. Nearly half of moviegoers - 47 percent -chose to see
the film on the generally pricier screens. IMAX screens alone accounted
for $48 million of the global earnings.
But
"Star Wars" didn't fly alone this weekend. A few other movies attempted
to provide some counterprogramming and ended up with comparatively
decent results.
Almost a galaxy away, Fox's animated "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip" came in second with $14.4 million.
According
to exit polls, 70 percent of audiences were comprised of families. The
film also played to a rather diverse audience of 22 percent Hispanics
and 19 percent African-Americans.
"Starting on
Monday, 73 percent of K through 12 is out of school. Why wouldn't we
make our picture available?" said Chris Aronson, Fox's president of
domestic distribution as to why they released their film "in the teeth
of the hurricane."
"'Star Wars' is the phenomenon it is and will continue to be, but there is another segment of the audience out there," he added.
In
third place, the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler comedy "Sisters" earned an
estimated $13.4 million out of the gates. A whopping 79 percent of
audiences were female for the R-rated comedy - a solid indicator that
the counterprogramming against "Star Wars" was in fact a wise choice.
"A
healthy box office needs something for everyone," said Nick Carpou,
Universal's president of domestic distribution, who expects a solid
performance for the comedy in the weeks to come.
Rounding out the top five were "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2," with $5.7 million and "Creed," with $5.1 million.
This
is the biggest overall weekend in box office history with combined
grosses north of $300 million, putting 2015 in range of becoming the
first $11 billion year in history.
"We're on the verge of a record-breaking year," Dergarabedian said. "I think we're going to do it."
Estimated
ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters,
according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers
for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will
be released Monday.
1. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," $238 million ($279 million international).
2. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip," $14.4 million.
3. "Sisters," $13.4 million ($1.8 million international).
4. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2," $5.7 million ($7.8 million international).
5. "Creed," $5.1 million.
6. "The Good Dinosaur," $4.2 million ($9.2 million international).
7. "Krampus," $3.8 million ($1.8 million international).
8. "In the Heart of the Sea," $3.5 million ($3.9 million international).
9. "Diwale," $1.9 million.
10. "Bajirao Mastani," $1.7 million.
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Estimated
ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters
(excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Rentrak:
1. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," $279 million.
2. "Mojin: The Lost Legend," $85 million.
3. "Surprise - Journey to the West," $24 million.
4. "The Good Dinosaur," $9.2 million.
5. "The Himalayas," $8.5 million.
6. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2," $7.8 million.
7. "Spectre," $6.5 million.
8. "Bridge of Spies," $4.5 million.
9. "In the Heart of the Sea" and "The Tiger: An Old Hunter's Tale," 3.9 million.
10. "Krampus" and "Sisters," $1.8 million.
