LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” burst into theaters with a staggering $450 million in global ticket sales in its opening weekend, confirming that the celebrated space adventure franchise remained a powerful force at the box office.
The eighth movie in the “Star Wars” saga created by George Lucas in 1977 collected $220 million in the United States and Canada, according to box office estimates released by comScore on Sunday. The total ranked second only to the $248 million for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” two years ago.
The debut marks another major success for Walt Disney Co, which bought “Star Wars” producer Lucasfilm in 2012 and reinvigorated the story set in a galaxy far, far away.
“There are very few brands that can sustain this kind of enthusiasm and relevance,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. “This supercharges the potential for all the other ‘Star Wars’ properties down the line.”
