Star Wars: The Force Awakens 'on track' to become most successful film of all time

STAR Wars: The Force Awakens is on track to become the most successful film of all time after a huge opening, according to industry experts.

 

Fans outside a cinema showing Star Wars The Force Awakens in Taiwan

 

The latest film in the iconic franchise has smashed box office records in the US and Canada after pulling in $57million (£38m) on its first night.

Following such a hugely successful first night, industry experts have said Star Wars: The Force Awakens could become the biggest selling movie of all time.

The film also set a new opening day box office record in the UK and Ireland after it drew in £9.64m - beating the previous one set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which got £9.48m on its first day.

 

In Hollywood, California, fans wait for Star Wars The Force Awakens to begin

 

Experts believe the space adventure flick could even beat Skyfall, which is the highest-grossing movie in the UK and Ireland, after it made almost £103m domestically.

This is even more likely after some UK cinema chains increased their prices for the film. This includes Odeon, which has imposed a ticket surcharge of up to £2.

Two million tickets were booked in advance of the film's release, also setting a new record for advanced ticket bookings in the UK and Ireland.

 



A clip from Star Wars The Force Awakens featuring Daisy Ridley, right, as Rey, and BB-8



 

Walt Disney Co released its projections late Friday stating US and Canadian ticket sales were hurtling towards  $125m (£84m) that day and it could bring in $225m (£151m) through Sunday, which would give it the biggest opening weekend of all time.

A mixture of strong reviews and a decades-long affection for the Star Wars franchise are driving interest, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box office tracking firm Rentrak.

Disney's carefully planned release of film trailers and information over several months also boosted sales, he said.

 

Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca and Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

"That worked the audience into a frenzy," he said. "It's just a perfect storm of Star Wars enthusiasm."

Directed by JJ Abrams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will see original trilogy stars Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher reprise their Han Solo and Princess Leia roles alongside new faces Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn.