‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Sinks ‘Titanic’ Box Office Record

The numbers have come in, and it looks like Star Wars: The Force Awakens has broken another record as it sinks the Titanic box office record, which, up until this point, was the second-highest grossing film in history. As of Friday, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has officially earned $686.4 million in America, which sails past the Titanic’s record of $658.6 million and Jurassic World’s record of $652.2 million.

It still has James Cameron’s Avatar to beat, however, which still remains the highest-grossing film in box office history. Despite the high record of $2.7 billion worldwide and nearly $7.5 million domestically, experts are predicting that The Force Awakens will beat that record in short order.

The international box office total to date is almost as impressive as the domestic numbers with an estimated $679.2 million in sales. So far, that makes a total of $1.36 billion. The final numbers will be out Monday, but Walt Disney Studios decided to celebrate their imminent victory a little early. This weekend, the numbers are expected to continue to rise, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see several more million added to the standing record.

In addition to passing top box office numbers, the film has also gone down in history as the fastest film to cross the $600 million mark, doing so in less than two weeks. Just 12 days, to be exact.

The Force Awakens, directed by the renowned J.J. Abrams, is a primary reason the box office in America has moved past $11 billion in 2015, a record high.

The newest Star Wars film is currently showing in multiple theaters in 4,134 locations, and it’s not losing popularity even two weeks after the opening. This is a very positive outcome for the filmmakers who worried that all the hype of the film might not be totally compensated with the film’s release.

Even George Lucas is a fan of the show; although, he initially made comments about selling the rights to the film to “white slavers.” He went back on that statement by later saying the following.

“Disney is doing an incredible job of taking care of and expanding the franchise. I rarely go out with statements to clarify my feelings but I feel it is important to make it clear that I am thrilled that Disney has the franchise and is moving it in such exciting directions in film, television and the parks.”

Harrison Ford was also one past naysayer who eventually warmed up to the film. It’s no secret that for most of his career, he wasn’t a big fan of his time on the Star Wars set, nor of his character Han Solo. He described Solo as uninteresting, and less exciting than Indiana Jones. He also stated that Han Solo is as “dumb as a stump.”

However, he finally admitted how great it was to return to the Star Wars set after so many years away. It took 38 years being away from the set, but he finally told attendees of this year’s Comic-Con that “it should have felt ridiculous” to be back on the show. “Here I was, doing something I did so long ago,” he said. “I will tell you that it felt great. I was proud and grateful to once again be involved.”

Based on the overall approval from fans and actors everywhere, it’s really no surprise that Star Wars: The Force Awakens sunk the Titanic box office record and is on track to dominate Avatar’s top spot.

[Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images]