Star Wars 7 Set To Topple Yet Another Historic Milestone

Some movies are born underdogs, while others have greatness attached to their very existence from the moment they're announced. One of those movies that fall into the latter category is J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is about to break yet another record in its tour of conquest. Say hello to the new largest December release in history. 

The seventh Star Wars film is poised to open in 4,100 theaters this weekend, across all sorts of formats available for the enjoyment of fans of the Force. While reporting these numbers, THR also took time to break down the numbers down into the following allocations per format:  

3,300 3D locations, 392 IMAX screens — a record number — 451 premium large format screens and 146 D-Box locations

So just who's saying goodbye to being the largest December release of all time? None other than The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which set the bar at 4,045 theaters when it opened in December of 2012. And while we're talking records, the record of 4,468 theaters is the one to beat overall, as The Twilight Saga: Eclipse bamboozled its way into that many theaters back in 2010. Still, it's not the number of theaters you have, or even the number of showtimes that defines you – but most importantly, it's the number of tickets you sell to said shows in said theaters. Needless to say, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set to totally crush the box office this weekend, and with some pretty large numbers.  

Initial projections have the latest chapter in the Skywalker Saga pegged for anywhere between $180 and $220 million rolling in on the domestic front for the latest Star Wars movie. Should these projections hold, it wouldn't take too much work to break Jurassic World's opening weekend record of $208.8 million, as well as put the film on the road to profitability. That last part is going to be crucial, because whispers around town have reported that if the film doesn't hit a certain amount, it will be considered a disappointment big enough to hit Disney right in their wallet. 

Should Star Wars: The Force Awakens manage to go down the more successful path and shatter records like a lightsaber through Luke's arm, there will undoubtedly be another chance for Star Wars to break the record for the largest roll out ever. Even without the drive-in / seasonal venues that were mentioned as Eclipse's secret weapon, Star Wars: Episode VIII could ride quite high on the wave of good feelings that its predecessor may generate this weekend. But seeing as the Rian Johnson directed sequel is set for release in a traditional May release slot in 2018, it certainly won't hurt to have summer friendly venues in the film's arsenal.  

Of course, only time will tell, and in order for the future to become rosy and bright, the present needs to be as wondrous as anticipated. That said, you'll have your chance to embrace the now when Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in early release on Thursday night.