Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ leaves theaters as one of the biggest hits of all time

star wars the force awakens made over 2 billion worldwide vfx 001
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Disney has already made back the cash half of its $4 billion cash-and-stock Lucasfilm deal with a single movie. The Force Awakens is finally out of theaters worldwide, after having grossed an astonishing $2 billion globally in just 168 days, according to Box Office Mojo.

So while many fans are slowly blinding themselves with constant reruns of the now-released Blu-Ray edition, Disney is counting its massive haul. The Force Awakens is now the third-highest-grossing movie of all time (and third ever to reach the $2 billion milestone), behind James Cameron’s blockbusting Titanic and Avatar films. But with almost a billion of that cash earned domestically, J.J. Abrams’ sequel is firmly the highest-grossing film ever in the United States.

The $2 billion club is extremely elusive for even the biggest hit films. Case in point: The next-closest worldwide grosser of all time to The Force Awakens is Jurassic World, which earned almost a quarter less ($1.6 billion) at the box office overall.

Abrams’ Star Wars broke numerous box office records — and crashed many ticketing websites — when it first hit theaters in December, and that fervor continued for months after its release, It continued to sell more than $1 million in tickets per day until March.

On the foreign front, the U.K. was the largest box-office supporter of the film, with $180 million in sales, followed by the burgeoning market in China, which spent $125 million.

Disney may be upset that it didn’t upend Cameron’s two massive hits at the box office, but it will likely hugely outperform both films in merchandise and licensing: One doesn’t see many teenage girls with Titanic posters on their wall in 2016, but there sure are a lot of little tykes with Kylo Ren’s saber.

Plus, with numerous spinoffs and sequels planned in the coming years, that $4 billion sticker price will continue to melt away. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters this year, followed by the Rian Johnson-directed sequel to The Force Awakens and a film about the young Han Solo, set to hit screens in 2018. All of these should make sizable dents in Disney’s upfront investment, if not firmly erase it forever.

Editors' Recommendations

Parker Hall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…
A Disturbance in the Force trailer shines light on infamous Star Wars Holiday Special
The cast of Star Wars standing next to each other.

In 1978, CBS aired the Star Wars Holiday Special, a two-hour spin-off film 18 months after the success of A New Hope. The special never aired again. A new documentary, A Disturbance in the Force, attempts to figure out what went wrong with the most reviled Star Wars adventure in franchise history.

A Disturbance in the Force Teaser Trailer - SXSW 2023

Read more
The 10 most popular movies of all time, ranked by box office gross
The cast of Star Wars.

There are many reasons why a film can become hugely popular. It could be a creative and thrilling story, awe-inspiring and innovative visuals, compelling characters, or enthralling performances from the cast.

But when all these factors come together, they can make a film that resonates with countless audiences and wins even bigger at the box office. While Hollywood has released many worldwide hits over the years, a select few movies hit the exactright mark in theaters, cementing themselves as cinematic juggernauts.

Read more
Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 coming to Disney+ in May
Logo for Star Wars Visions.

Disney and Lucasfilm have announced that Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 will premiere on May 4 on Disney+. May 4 is Star Wars Day, which is known for the catchphrase, "May the 4th be with you."

Star Wars: Visions is an animated anthology series that includes short films set in or inspired by the Star Wars universe. These films can exist outside of the Star Wars canon, but they still capture the themes and emotions of the Lucasfilm franchise. The series offers a global perspective on Star Wars, as Volume 2 will consist of nine short films from nine studios from around the world. Lucasfilm also revealed that each short film features unique animation styles.

Read more