Star Wars: The Force Awakens beats Avatar as biggest US film of all-time

The film makes history just 20 days after its premiere

Justin Carissimo
New York
Wednesday 06 January 2016 15:15 EST
Comments
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' will top 'Avatar' as the highest grossing film of all-time on Wednesday.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' will top 'Avatar' as the highest grossing film of all-time on Wednesday. (Disney)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens made history on Wednesday as it surpassed Avatar as the highest grossing film of all-time in North America.

It's taken just 20 days for JJ Abrams' intergalactic film to reach $758 million in the US while James Cameron's 2009 film earned $760.5 million during its seven-month box office run, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Shortly after the news broke, Disney issued a statement on StarWars.com thanking the longtime fans of the franchise.

"Star Wars fans have kept a galaxy far, far away alive for close to 40 years. Without them, there is no Star Wars," the statement read.

"We are proud of these records, but know that they would not be possible without fans’ enthusiasm and continued support. We feel it here and it drives us every day, and it will continue to in the very bright future of Star Wars. There has indeed been an awakening — and it’s all thanks to you."

The seventh installment of the Star Wars franchise raked in $1.5 billion worldwide on Tuesday. The Force Awakens still trails behind Cameron's 3D alien tale which grossed $2.78 billion.

When the numbers are adjusted for inflation, Gone With the Wind remains the top grossing film in the US.

The Disney and Lucasfilm blockbuster has yet to open in China, where it will premiere January 9.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in