The force is still going strong. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has broken another box office record, officially grossing more than $1 billion globally over the Christmas weekend, and doing it faster than any film in history.
The smash film also racked up $153.5 million domestically over the weekend, representing the best holiday weekend ever, Variety reports.
Last weekend, the newest installment in the George Lucas-created franchise scored $238 million in domestic ticket sales during its opening weekend, shattering the record that was previously held by Jurassic World, which opened this summer at $208.8 million in ticket sales.
“This is a record that will stand for a long time,” Jeff Bock, an analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told Variety on Sunday, December 20. “This gives us an idea of how much a movie can make on a particular weekend.”
It’s not surprising that the newest Star Wars film — directed by J.J. Abrams and featuring original cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill alongside newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega — has already surpassed the global $1 billion mark, given that it garnered a whopping $517 million worldwide in ticket sales on its opening weekend.
“It was bigger than a movie,” said Dave Hollis, Disney’s distribution chief. “It became a cultural event.”
Disney, the studio behind The Force Awakens, is set to release four more Star Wars films.
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