10 - STAR WARS: EPISODE VII - THE FORCE AWAKENS PREVIEW - DECEMBER 16, 2015
The Force Awakens Preview
By the Numbers
STAR WARS
AT THE
box office
“Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” is anticipated to break box office
records and gross more than $1 billion in domestic box office sales, which
would put it nearly a quarter-billion dollars ahead of current record holder
“Avatar” ($760M). That fervor could not be any more different from the release
of “Star Wars” nearly 40 years ago, which premiered on just a few dozen
screens. In fact, 20th Century Fox was so concerned about how it would per-
form versus other summer films that it moved up its premiere to the
Wednesday before Memorial Day to give a few days at theaters without big
head-to-head competition. Needless to say, they had nothing to worry about.
Here’s a look back at how each film in the “Star Wars” franchise performed at
the domestic box office:
STAR WARS
Release: May 25, 1977
Opening Weekend Box Office:
$1,554,475 in 43 theaters
Box Office Total: $307,263,857 in
1,750 theaters
1977 Average Ticket Cost: $2.23
THE EMPIRE
STRIKES BACK
Release: May 21, 1980
Opening Weekend Box Office:
$4,910,483 in 126 theaters
Box Office Total: $209,398,025 in
1,278 theaters
1980 Average Ticket Cost: $2.69
RETURN OF THE JEDI
Release: May 25, 1983
Opening Weekend Box Office:
$23,019,618 in 1,002 theaters
Box Office Total: $252,583,617 in
1,764 theaters
1983 Average Ticket Cost: $3.15
STAR WARS: EPISODE I –
THE PHANTOM MENACE
Release: May 19, 1999
Opening Weekend Box Office:
$64,820,970 in 2,970 theaters
Box Office Total: $431,088,295 in
3,126 theaters
1999 Average Ticket Cost: $5.06
STAR WARS: EPISODE II –
ATTACK OF THE CLONES
Release: May 16, 2002
Opening Weekend Box Office:
$80,027,814 in 3,161 theaters
Box Office Total: $302,191,252 in 3,161
theaters
2002 Average Ticket Cost: $5.80
STAR WARS: EPISODE III –
REVENGE OF THE SITH
Release: May 19, 2005
Opening Weekend Box Office:
$108,435,841 in 3,661 theaters
Box Office Total: $380,270,577 in
3,663 theaters
2005 Average Ticket Cost: $6.41
Sources: BoxOfficeMojo.com,
National Association of Theater
Owners
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Sentinel