'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Crosses $1 Billion at Box Office, Breaks Christmas Day Record

Movie

On the Christmas weekend, the new 'Star Wars' movie earned $149.2 million at domestic box office, pushing its global total to $1.09 billion in record time.

December 28, 2015

AceShowbiz -

After breaking multiple box office records, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is now the fastest movie ever to cross $1 billion. In just 12 days, the J.J. Abrams-directed movie garnered $1.09 billion at global box office. The film defeated previous record holder "Jurassic World", which set the record earlier this year by reaching $1 billion in 13 days.

The Daisy Ridley starrer, which was originally called "Shadow of the Empire", had the biggest Christmas weekend ever at North America box office. The movie earned $149.2 million, pushing its domestic total to $540 million. "The speed with which records are falling is a testament to the audience broadening out. And you're seeing extraordinary repeat business," said Disney distribution chief Dave Hollis. "We know anecdotally there are people who are seeing the movie three and four times. Everybody wants to be part of something that has become a cultural phenomenon."

While the "Star Wars" movie remains at the top of the box office chart, some new releases also hit theaters. "Daddy's Home", a comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell, led the newcomers with $38.7 million from 3,271 theaters. "This is a movie that the whole family can go to together," said Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore. "This is the 'Star Wars' for comedy."

Editors' Pick

Meanwhile, David O. Russell's "Joy" was in the third place, launching to $17 million from 2,896 theaters. "I think audiences are responding to female empowerment and empowerment in general, as well as to the virtuoso acting and David O. Russell's storytelling," Fox domestic distribution president Chris Aronson stated.

Rounding out the top five were two holdovers "Sisters" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip". The former, which stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, added another $14.2 million in its second weekend. As for the Chipmunks movie, it grossed $13.1 million from 3,705 theaters.