Everyone has reported on this but it bears repeating. This movie, like it or not, will take the lead in the franchise, and most likely the top grossing film of all time. The Force Awakens also became the fastest-ever to hit $1 billion globally this weekend: it took 12 days compared to Jurassic World’s 13 earlier this year.
It took less than two weeks to happen but: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is now the all-time top-grossing film in the franchise. The J. J. Abrams-directed smash hit surpassed both the $1 billion mark and previous franchise record of $1.027 billion, set by Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 1999.
The Force Awakens holds the record for the fastest-ever film to reach the $500 million mark in America – a milestone it hit in 10 days. With $545 million in domestic box office, The Force Awakens trails only four movies to become the highest-grossing movie in American history: 2009’s Avatar ($760 million), 1997’sTitanic ($658 million), 2015’s Jurassic World ($652 million), and 2012’s The Avengers ($623 million). The Force Awakens will almost certainly shatter Avatar’s record, but it’s yet to be seen if the Disney mega-flick will be the first movie in history to hit $1 billion at the U.S. box office.
Although it’s difficult to accurately compare films from different eras due to inflation (especially when looking at global totals), 1939’s Gone With The Wind is largely acknowledged as the most successful film of all time. Last year, Guinness World Records estimated its then-$393 million intake to be $3.44 billion in 2014 dollars.
But nobody has mastered the franchise business like George Lucas. Movies 8 and 9 are in the works already, and set to launch in 2017.
