Historic 'Star Wars' debut hands Disney another hit franchise

Moviegoers wait before the first showing of the movie "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at the entrance of a movie theatre in Tokyo.[Photo/Agencies]

Movie theater attendance in the United States and Canada, the world's largest film market, has barely changed in a decade as online and mobile platforms exploded. Subscribers to Disney's sports powerhouse, ESPN, have shrunk, a much-noted sign of pressure on traditional media. The turnout for "Star Wars" is an encouraging result for Disney, rival media companies and movie theaters.

"We have so many options for entertainment, yet look at where everyone is flocking this weekend - to the multiplex," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box office tracking firm Rentrak. "Disney has this down to a science."

Global sales for "Force Awakens" finished second only to the dinosaur film "Jurassic World," which in its June opening garnered $525 million worldwide, including China, where the "Star Wars" film will not open for weeks. "Jurassic World" took $208.8 million at domestic theaters in its first weekend.

"Force Awakens" is the seventh installment in the epic science-fiction franchise created by George Lucas in 1977.

Filmgoers reveled in the return to the "Star Wars" galaxy, dressing as Jedi or Sith, carrying lightsabers and cheering when classic characters such as Princess Leia or Chewbacca appeared on screen. Theaters added showtimes to meet demand.

Disney plans four "Star Wars" movies through 2019, plus major expansions at its US theme parks to incorporate the droids, spaceships and otherworldly creatures of the universe Lucas invented. "Force Awakens" toys, clothing, home accessories and video games already pervade stores ahead of Christmas.