If you close your eyes and clear your mind, use the Force if you will. You can hear the “cha-ching” of millions of movie theater cash registers pulling in piles of money from the opening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This is the moment that the executives at Disney had in mind when they acquired Lucasfilm for over $4 billion dollars in 2012. The opening weekend of The Force Awakens was always projected to be record-breaking and it did not disappoint. While the final numbers are still being calculated, the movie made an estimated $247.9 million dollars in its first weekend domestically. While having an estimated $517 million dollar worldwide opening. This is the beginning of a yearly phenomenon, which will rival the franchise might of Marvel. With the winner being Disney, who own both companies.
Coming in second place was Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip with an estimated $14.4 million dollars. Much like Star Wars, the movie has recognizable characters that crosses generations and a built-in audience which is perfect match for the bottom-feeding kid’s film.
In third place was Sisters, the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler vehicle debuted with an estimated $13.4 million dollars. The R-rated comedy managed to take advantage of counter-programming and tickets being sold out for The Force Awakens. The movie had an announced production budget of $30 million dollars, so it seems that the film will be counted as a success.
Fourth place belonged to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt 2, which made an estimated $5.6 million dollars in its fourth week of release. A slew of new releases come out next week which will certainly push the movie out of the top five. However, the last installment has shown surprising legs.
Rounding out the top five spots was Creed which added another estimated $5 million dollars to its total. The movie could benefit from any attention the film could gain from award season and beyond. It is unclear if there is a sequel in the works, since director Ryan Coogler is rumored to be in talks to helm Marvel’s Black Panther next. However, it seems that it is only a matter of time before we see Creed step into the ring again.
Check out the complete Box Office breakdown for the weekend of December 18th-20th, 2015.
| TW | LW | Title (click to view) | Studio | Weekend Gross | % Change | Theater Count /Change | Average | Total Gross | Budget* | Week # | |
| 1 | N | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | BV | $247,966,675 | – | 4,134 | – | $59,982 | $247,966,675 | – | 1 |
| 2 | N | Alvin and the Chipmunks The Road Chip | Fox | $14,287,159 | – | 3,653 | – | $3,911 | $14,287,159 | – | 1 |
| 3 | N | Sisters | Uni. | $13,922,855 | – | 2,962 | – | $4,700 | $13,922,855 | $30 | 1 |
| 4 | 1 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | LGF | $5,892,683 | -48.4% | 2,653 | -998 | $2,221 | $254,481,457 | $160 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 | Creed | WB (NL) | $5,013,055 | -50.5% | 2,433 | -1,069 | $2,060 | $87,828,128 | $35 | 4 |
| 6 | 3 | The Good Dinosaur | BV | $4,350,285 | -57.8% | 2,755 | -851 | $1,579 | $96,664,353 | – | 4 |
| 7 | 5 | Krampus | Uni. | $4,114,805 | -51.1% | 2,371 | -548 | $1,735 | $35,145,460 | $15 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | In the Heart of the Sea | WB | $3,484,270 | -68.5% | 3,103 | – | $1,123 | $18,619,365 | – | 2 |
| 9 | N | Dilwale | UTV | $1,920,074 | – | 268 | – | $7,164 | $2,029,194 | – | 1 |
| 10 | N | Bajirao Mastani | Eros | $1,741,037 | – | 304 | – | $5,727 | $1,741,037 | – | 1 |
What did you catch over the weekend? Was it any good? Let us know on the comment boards, , and !
Source: Box Office Mojo