In less than a three week period since it first landed in theaters, director Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi has officially crossed the $1 billion mark in global box office ticket sales. Not only that, Episode VIII has also earned the crown of top earning film for 2017 and has passed the $500 million mark here in the United States.
The Last Jedi keeps Disney’s streak alive of having their Star Wars films achieving the lofty $1 billion global box office totals. J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens passed this mark and Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One did so as well during its theatrical run.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” pulled in $120.4 million globally on the New Year’s Eve weekend with $52.4 million at 4,232 domestic venues and $68 million internationally during the Friday-Sunday period.
“The Last Jedi” is now the eighth highest-grossing domestic movie of all time with $517.1 million — only $15 million behind last year’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” in the seventh spot. On the worldwide chart, it’s now 24th with $1.04 billion, edging Universal-Illumination’s “Despicable Me 3.” The tentpole’s international total, currently at $523.2 million, will see a significant jolt when it opens on Jan. 5 in China, its final market.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” has also topped Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” which grossed $504 million in North America, for the top spot among 2017 releases domestically. It’s the fourth 2017 title to go past $1 billion worldwide, along with “Beauty and the Beast” at $1.26 billion, “The Fate of the Furious” at $1.24 billion and “Despicable Me 3” at $1.03 billion.
