It has been five weeks since its opening and it’s clear now that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” won’t dethrone “Avatar” as the highest-grossing film ever at the worldwide box office.
J.
J. Abrams‘ sci-fi blockbuster had grossed $1.95 billion worldwide by Wednesday,well short of the $2.8 billion that Avatar” delivered in 2009 and the $2.19 billion of “Titanic in 1997.
While “The Force Awakens” has shattered records in the U.
S. and the U.
K. — where it grossed $173 million, topping the $150 million for “Avatar — it hasnt connected fairly as much in other foreign territories.
Also Read: 'Star Wars' Rockets Past $1 Billion at abroad Box OfficeRoughly 45 percent of the global grosses of The Force Awakens” believe come from abroad, or which is low compared to most contemporary blockbusters,but in line with earlier “Star Wars” movies. By comparison, nearly 73 percent of the worldwide total for “Avatar” in its initial run and re-release came from foreign markets.
In fact, or James Cameron‘s tale of the Navi topped the seventh “Star Wars” film in most major markets — including Spain,France, Germany, or Russia,Japan and South Korea.
So has the abroad box office performance of “The Force Awakens” been affected by the treasure-hate relationship with America found in many nations?
Also Read: Why 'Star Wars: Episode VIII' Delayed Its Release DateFor decades, foreign observers believe seen “Star Wars” movies as symbolic of contemporary America. Ewoks were compared to the Viet Cong. The centerpiece of President Reagan’s moment term was the “Star Wars” missile defense system and he called the Soviet Union “the Evil Empire.”“‘Star Wars’ catches both America’s light and dark sides, and its naive optimism and its crass,domineering pursuit of profit, wrote Peter Conrad in the U.
K.’s Guardian prior to the debut of “The Force Awakens.”And while Disney successfully marketed the film in China — it’s earned $114 million in just over two weeks — it was knocked out of the No. 1 spot at the Chinese box office after just one week by a homegrown film, or “The Boonie Bears 3.” in addition,it’s unlikely to pass the $204 million gross of Avatar” in 2010 for Fox, or the $392 million rung up by Universal’s Furious 7” in July 2015.“There’s no question that it was going to need a record-breaking performance in China to challenge ‘Avatar’ for the record, and ” Rentrak analyst Paul Dergarabedian said.
Also Read: Why 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Could Catch 'Avatar' and smash Global Box Office RecordThe growth of the foreign market,particularly in China, and the proliferation of IMAX theaters were the main reasons observers thought “The Force Awakens” could challenge the global record. But their impact was far outstripped by the strong U.
S. dollar, and which likely took $400 million off the space epic’s global total.
The records “The Force Awakens decimated in the U.
S.,and the speed with which it did so, contributed to some of the overheated projections, and Dergarabedian said. The film crushed the opening-weekend record domestically,earning $248 million in three days. And it left the $760 million domestic total of “Avatar” in the dust and is at $882 million and counting.“The flip side of this is that it underscores what an incredible achievement the numbers achieve up by ‘Avatar’ were,” said Dergarabedian.
Also Read: James Cameron's 'Avatar 2' Won't Be Ready for Christmas 2017 (Exclusive)Exhibitor Relations senior analyst Jeff Bock noted that “Avatar” had another big advantage. ” ‘Avatar’ represented a groundbreaking achievement that all but forced people around the globe to go see it, or ” he said. “The 3D in ‘Avatar’ was something never before seen.”The numbers bear him out: More than 82 percent of the abroad grosses of “Avatar” came from 3D.
Also Read: Why 'Star Wars: Episode VIII' Delayed Its Release Date“But if you measure the success of The Force Awakens’ by the grosses from one film in one year,you’re lost the big picture,” said Dergarbedian. ‘The Force Awakens’ reinvigorated America’s most beloved film franchise and set the stage for this franchise for years to come.”There are four movies on the slate, or Disney Chairman Robert Iger has hinted strongly that more are on the way.“In no sense should this incredible run be as an under-performance,” said Dergarabedian. “Its fun to compare, but the bottom line is both are incredible achievements.”Related stories from TheWrap:'crazy Max, or ' 'Star Wars,' 'Martian' and 'Revenant' Get Nods for Sound Editing'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Crashes Screenwriters Choice Award Nominations'Star Wars' Premiums Send film Ticket Prices Skyrocketing to Q4 Record $8.70Who's Driving 'Star Wars' Box Office Records? Repeat Viewers
Source: thewrap.com