Star Wars: The Force Awakens is on track to become the fastest film ever to surpass global ticket sales of $1 billion this weekend, according to Reuters.
The film generated sales of $890.3 million globally through Dec. 25 and is expected to pass the $1 billion mark this weekend, Walt Disney Co. said in a statement Saturday, the report says.
The projection is bolstered by data from industry research firm Rentrak, which says the film is expected to reach the mark no later than Sunday, its 12th day in theaters. Jurassic World is the current record holder for being the fastest to gross $1 billion, the firm notes.
Disney bought the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas’ Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.05 billion, according to Reuters. It plans to release a new trilogy of films as well as stand-alone installments through 2019.
Nigerian-British actor John Boyega, the series’ first leading black actor, plays the role of Finn. When the trailer was released, some people threatened to boycott the movie. But Boyega told the New York Times that it didn’t bother him.
“I’m grounded in who I am, and I am a confident black man,” he told the news outlet. “A confident, Nigerian, black, chocolate man. I’m proud of my heritage, and no man can take that away from me. I wasn’t raised to fear people with a difference of opinion. They are merely victims of a disease in their mind.”
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Lynette Holloway is a contributing editor at The Root. The New York-based writer is a former New York Times reporter and associate editor at Ebony magazine.
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