J.J. Abrams’ blockbuster achieves the historic milestone Wednesday after only 20 days in release; globally, ‘Force Awakens’ is a long way from matching the $2.78 billion earned by ‘Avatar.’
It’s official: J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the No. 1 grossing film of all time in North America, not accounting for inflation.
On Wednesday, the Disney and Lucasfilm mega-blockbuster is overtaking the $760.5 million earned by James Cameron’s Avatar. Force Awakens — which grossed $8 million on Tuesday for a domestic total of $758.2 million — achieved the milestone in only 20 days in release, a remarkable feat.
Released in December 2009, Avatar grossed nearly $750 million in its original, seven-month run, plus another $10 million-plus when it was rereleased in theaters.
Thanks to Force Awakens, domestic revenue for 2015 was able to hit a record $11 billion at the last minute.
Globally, Force Awakens has a long way to go before eclipsing the $2.78 billion earned worldwide by Avatar, even as it does staggering business. Through Tuesday, its worldwide tally is $1.56 billion, and that doesn’t include China, where Force Awakens lands on Jan. 9.
Overseas on Tuesday, Force Awakens earned $13 million for a foreign tally of $799.1 million.
Many box office observers suggest the Star Wars reboot will ultimately gross $2.2 billion to $2.4 billion worldwide, passing up Cameron’s Titanic ($2.19 billion) to become the No. 2 film of all time, not accounting for inflation. Already, it’s the No. 4 title.
Only two film have earned $700 million or more in North America; Avatar and Force Awakens.
