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That’s what was most frustrating about Lucas’ decision to write the prequels. By ignoring the beloved cast of the Star Wars trilogy, he angered fans two different ways. The first was in denying them something that they loved. The second was in casting atrocious actors like Hayden Christensen and Jake Lloyd to anchor the prequels. Sure, Lloyd had the excuse of just being a kid in over his head but Christensen…yikes! To a larger point, Harrison Ford remained one of the most popular actors in Hollywood as well as one of the greatest box office draws. His absence from a new Star Wars movie bordered on inexcusable.

By returning Star Wars 7 to its roots, the twin Skywalkers and Han Solo, there was already something exciting about this reboot. The absence of George Lucas also helped. In an odd instance of Hollywood serendipity, JJ Abrams, a man whose job as a teenager was as an intern working for George Lucas, had become one of the most popular directors in the industry. Having recently redeemed the Star Trek franchise, directing the two most popular films in the series, he was the optimal choice to do the same for Star Wars.

By November of 2014, Disney knew they had magic. The debut of the 90-second teaser for the film they were now calling The Force Awakens immediately broke the internet. It recorded almost 60 million YouTube views during its first week, easily a record. Clearly, audiences were hungry for a good Star Wars movie after over 30 years of waiting. By the time the second teaser debuted, fans were obsessed. It enjoyed over 30 million viewings in 24 hours. If every one of those people went to see the movie on opening weekend, it’d shatter the record for opening weekend box office.

Of course, that seemed impossible. Disney specifically chose to release Star Wars: The Force Awakens the week before Christmas. Films beginning around that time demonstrably experience box office deflation. That’s why the standing opening weekend record for December was only $84.6 million, a title held by another fanboy favorite, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Disney was effectively ceding its chances at the opening weekend record in exchange for a much stronger two week box office window, the same one that had previously propelled Avatar and Titanic to become the most popular two movies ever.

At least, that was the conventional wisdom among box office analysts. Early ticket sales reports from businesses like Fandango hinted that maybe, just maybe, The Force Awakens wouldn’t play by the rules. Intel suggested that over $100 million worth of Star Wars tickets sold prior to the film’s opening weekend. Skeptics, including several of us at BOP, noted that every mid to late December release ever had played by the same rules. Even Star Wars should hold true to the finite laws of box office.

It didn’t. On its “first” day in theaters, The Force Awakens wasn’t exhibited until 7 p.m.. It still earned $57 million from zealous fans who couldn’t wait to see the return of Leia, Luke, and Han plus a new trifecta of leads in Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren. Over the course of its first official day in theaters, Star Wars 7 garnered $119.1 million. In the process, it became the first December release ever to earn over $100 million on opening week. IN A SINGLE DAY!

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