For a while now, industry insiders have been asking themselves if "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will break the all-time box office record held by James Cameron's "Avatar" at $2.7 billion. Given the widespread popularity and nostalgic value of the series, many believe it has a shot to go the distance. But Disney has consistently downplayed expectations whenever the topic has come up. While that isn't completely out of character - studios love to lower box office projections - it is a bit surprising given the swell of excitement for "The Force Awakens."
Walt Disney Studios chariman Alan Horn doesn't care what the pre-sale records and trends look like. He's telling everyone to cool it when it comes to "Star Wars" money.
"In December it's rare to see a big debut - there's only a handful above $70 million, by the way, with the record being something like $84 million," Horn told The Hollywood Reporter. "People are shopping, they're traveling, they also know that their kids are going to be on vacation in a week and they're going to all go see movies together."
Perhaps Horn forgot that "Avatar" was also released on Dec. 18 back in 2009, the same day "The Force Awakens" will hit theaters this year. Cameron's film took $77 million in domestically during its opening weekend. The largest December movie opening in history was the first installment of "The Hobbit" trilogy which took in $85 million in 2012. It's not ludicrous to believe that "Star Wars" can match that. The movie has already topped $50 million in advanced ticket sales, after all.
"Jurassic World," which went on to become the third-highest grossing film of all time, took full advantage of its cushy summer blockbuster release date this year by hauling in an astronomical $208 million domestically during its opening weekend. Horn may be trying to temper expectations, but he has a point about December releases. Families are much busier at this time than they are during the summer. It would be a major coup if "The Force Awakens" can approach "Jurassic World" numbers.
We'll keep you updated on the box office front as "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" draws closer and closer.
