We know that "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is going to do major business at the worldwide box office. As the prequels showed, even when a "Star Wars" film isn't universally beloved, it still rakes in the dough. But exactly how much money will Disney make with their first offering from Lucasfilm?
Some industry insiders believe "The Force Awakens" will give James Cameron's "Avatar" a run for its money (pun intended) when it comes to the global box office record: $2.78 billion. Obviously, that's a lot. But even if "The Force Awakens" falls just short and only generates $2 billion, that's still half of the $4 billion Disney paid to acquire Lucasfilm. Talk about a great return on your investment.
Regardless of how well the film is expected to perform, there will always be someone with unreasonable expectations. Steven Spielberg, who knows a thing or two about making blockbuster films, spoke to "60 Minutes" recently about the stress being put on director J.J. Abrams at this time.
"There's a lot of pressure on J.J. to start paying Disney back for the franchise they bought from George Lucas," Spielberg said.
Abrams himself admitted that he knows no matter how many tickets "The Force Awakens" sells, someone will be grumbling about what could have been.
"You just know there will be people, no matter what you do, that will have issues with some aspect," Abrams said in the same "60 Minutes" interview. "You just know there is some number that is being thrown out there that will not be hit. You just know."
So what can we realistically expect from "The Force Awakens?"
"Jurassic World" set the record for biggest opening weekend of all time this summer with $208.8 million domestically. Considering that no December movie has ever topped $84 million in its opening weekend, "Star Wars" has some ground to cover. But this is "Star Wars" we're talking about, one of the most beloved properties of all time. Disney may be trying to downplay expectations, but the pre-ticket sales indicate a massive showing gathering for "The Force Awakens."
Could the film defy all previous trends and out-earn its predecessors? Absolutely. After all, the Force is strong with this film. When all is said and done, it wouldn't be a surprise to see "The Force Awakens" top $215 million during its opening weekend in the United States and end its run right around "Avatar's" global numbers.
We'll find out soon enough as "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" hits theaters this Friday.
