Star Wars thanks fans who ‘kept a galaxy far, far away alive for 40 years’ as it surpasses Avatar’s box office records
Star Wars has issued a thank you to all the fans that helped make the series’ latest entry dominate box office records across the globe.
Disney’s debut Star Wars movie, the Force Awakens, holds domestic box office records for the biggest opening day $119.1m, opening weekend $247.96m, and IMAX ticket sales $30.1m.
Most importantly, and an important landmark to gauge the commercial success of Disney’s soft reboot of the franchise following its acquisition from Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.05bn, the Force Awakens surpassed Avatar’s $760.50m record in just 20 days.
On the achievements, a statement from Disney read: “Star Wars fans have kept a galaxy far, far away alive for close to 40 years. Without them, there is no Star Wars.
“We are proud of these records, but know that they would not be possible without fans’ enthusiasm and continued support.”
It concludes: “We feel it here and it drives us every day, and it will continue to in the very bright future of Star Wars. There has indeed been an awakening — and it’s all thanks to you.”
Disney is right to appease the powerful Star Wars fan base. Fans of the new movie earlier this week pressured Hasbro into including Force Awakens protagonist Rey in its Star Wars Monopoly set.