Skip to main content

Star Wars: The Force Awakens breaks single-day box-office records all over the world

Star Wars The Force Awakens
Disney
It seems that no box-office record is safe from the Galactic Empire-like wrath of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. Not only did the film manage to outsell every other film in history on Fandango before it even came out, it set a slew of single-day international records once it actually did hit theaters.

According to Variety, the seventh Star Wars film posted the biggest single-day box-office haul of all-time in the United Kingdom/Ireland ($14.4 million), Germany ($6.8 million), Sweden ($2.7 million), and Norway ($1.1 million). The film also set opening day records in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, New Zealand, Finland, Netherlands, Ukraine, Slovakia, Croatia, Iceland, Serbia, Switzerland, Chile, and Peru.

Throw in a record $57 million haul from Thursday’s domestic preview showings and The Force Awakens has already generated a worldwide total of $129.7 million … in two days.

That number is especially impressive in light of the fact that the film has yet to debut in several major foreign markets, including India and China (also known as the two most highly populated countries on Planet Earth).

There’s no indication that these Death Star-sized numbers will subside any time soon, either, as the film has received almost universally positive reviews and word of mouth. According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film boasts a 95 percent fresh rating with the critics who’ve weighed in thus far, and a 93 percent audience score.

All told, this seems like the perfect storm for a box-office bonanza. While the production budget for The Force Awakens reportedly exceeded $200 million, it doesn’t look like Disney and Lucasfilm’s cash cow will have any problem making that back in the film’s first week. In fact, it will almost certainly hit that number in its first weekend.

Stay tuned for further updates, and to watch the records continue to fall.

Editors' Recommendations

Adam Poltrack
Adam is an A/V News Writer for Digital Trends, and is responsible for bringing you the latest advances in A/V…
SiriusXM’s Taylor Swift channel is free if your car has satellite radio
Taylor Swift on SiriusXM in a Hyundai Palisade.

It's Taylor Swift's world — we're just living in it. That was true before today, which saw the release of The Tortured Poets Department. But it's especially true given that you'll now be able to listen to all the Taylor Swift you want, for free, for the next few weeks.

Sirius XM earlier announced that the previously open Channel 13 has been transformed to Channel 13 (Taylor's Version). That is, all Taylor Swift, all the time. All you needed was a SiriusXM account. But even that minor bit of gatekeeping has been lifted a good bit. If you have a car that has the hardware for SiriusXM — and SXM believes that 50% of all cars on the road are so equipped — Channel 13 (Taylor's Version) will be available for free, through May 6.

Read more
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video (April 2024)
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in The Notebook.

There's only a week-and-a-half left in April, but Amazon Prime Video subscribers are still getting a steady supply of movies to watch. While there aren't any splashy Prime Video originals or prominent new additions like The Exorcist: Believer this week, Amazon is giving romance fans a chance to revisit The Notebook for its upcoming 20th anniversary, while action fans can watch Jason Statham do what he does best in Wrath of Man.

For viewers with families, perhaps Universal and Illumination's Minions: The Rise of Gru would be a better choice for your weekend movie night. Regardless of where your tastes lie, Prime Video has something for almost every movie lover. And you can find all of your top options in our roundup of the best movies on Amazon Prime Video right now.

Read more
Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and more
A man leans on a TV camera in Late Night with the Devil.

Even in the middle of the month, new additions are still arriving to our list of the best movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and other services. Throughout 2024, we've added recent Oscar honorees, new originals, and much more to this list -- and not always at the beginning of the month. Each week, there's something new worth your time.

This week, we've added five films to this list, including a new horror entry to Shudder, one of 2024's most popular movies on Paramount+, the Illumination hit Migration on Peacock, and two movies on Netflix, including part two of Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon series.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, and the best movies on HBO.

Read more