Records Fall As STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Posts $238M Domestic, $517M Global Debut

The Walt Disney Studios announced today that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has set a new all-time domestic debut record with an estimated $238M. With a five-day international debut of $279M, the film has taken in $517M globally.

“Our sole focus has been creating a film that delivers that one-of-a-kind Star Wars experience, and director J.J. Abrams, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, and the Lucasfilm team have outdone themselves,” said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “To all of the fans around the world who not only came out in Force to make this such an exciting and astronomical debut but who treated this film as their own and helped preserve the experience for their fellow fans by not spoiling it – thank you, we do.”

En route to this galactic launch, the film has smashed several all-time domestic box office records, including:

• Biggest Thursday preview gross with $57M.
• Biggest Friday and biggest single-day gross with $120.5M.
• First film ever to post a single day over $100M.
• Fastest film to $100M and $200M.
• Biggest December debut (nearly 3 times previous record of $84.6M).
• Biggest IMAX Thursday night preview ($5.7M), single-day ($14M, Friday), and weekend ($30.1M).
• Highest theater average for a wide release ($57,568).
  

Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuted day-and-date internationally in nearly every market (except Greece and India, which open Dec. 24, and China, which opens Jan. 9) and set records in many. Highlights:

• Biggest opening weekend of all time in UK (4-day), Australia, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria, Poland (3-day), Denmark (5-day), Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine, Iceland, Serbia, New Zealand. Second biggest opening weekend in France, Belgium, Israel, Chile.
• Biggest IMAX global debut of $48M.

The Force is strong with critics and audiences, whose enthusiastic reactions have powered a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score and an excellent A CinemaScore, with an A+ among women and younger audiences, for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

UPDATE: Additional box office data for The Force Awakens and box office records data provided by BoxOfficeMojo.com:

In just its first day of release Force Awakens brought in an estimated $120.5 million setting a new record for the largest Friday, opening day and single day. All on its own, that opening day was also enough to break the previous December opening weekend record of $84.62 million set by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012. Additionally, the film now holds the following domestic records:

• Largest Thursday Previews: $57 million*
  Previous Record: $43.5 million (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2)
• Largest Friday, Opening Day, Single Day: $120.5 million (estimated)
  Previous Record: $91 million (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2)
• Domestic Opening Weekend: $238 million (estimate)
  Previous Record: $208.8 million (Jurassic World)
• Highest Per Theater Average (Wide Opening): $57,571 (estimate)
  Previous Record: $48,855 / 4,274 theaters (Jurassic World)
• Top Opening Weekend for PG-13 Rated Film: $238 million (estimate)
  Previous Record: $208.8 million (Jurassic World)
• Top Holiday Opening Weekend**: $238 million (estimate)
  Previous Record: $158 million (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)
• Biggest Weekend Overall (Top 12 Gross): $294.5 million
  Previous Record: $266 million (June 12-14, 2015)
• Biggest December Weekend (Top 12 Gross): $294.5 million
  Previous Record: $259.9 million (Dec 25-27, 2009)
• December Single Day: $120.5 million (estimated)
  Previous Record: $37.13 million (The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey)
• Widest December Opening: 4,134 theaters
  Previous Record: 4,045 theaters (The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey)
• December Opening Weekend: $238 million (estimate)
  Previous Record: $84.62 million (The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey)
• Fastest to $100 Million: 1 Day
  Previous Record: 2 Days (Jurassic World)
• Global IMAX Opening Record: $48 million
  Previous Record: $44.1 million (Jurassic World)
• Domestic IMAX Opening Record: $30.1 million
  Previous Record: $20.9 million (Jurassic World)

* The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 record included midnight only screenings while Force Awakens screenings began at 7 PM on Thursday and included Star Wars marathon ticket sales, tickets that were sold for as much as $59.99 each.
** Holiday is defined as the first Friday in November through New Year’s week or weekend.

Domestically, Force Awakens did fall short of a few records such as the largest Saturday and Sunday totals, both held by Jurassic World. Subsequent weekend records, however, are still up for grabs along with the fastest to $300 million and so on, not to mention the overall domestic record currently held by Avatar at $760.5 million.

Joe Hogarty