‘Star Wars’ continues galactic performance as fans await next film

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” charged into 2016 atop the box office. The film is now the all-time highest earner in North America, grossing $764.4 million so far, according to Box Office Mojo’s latest numbers.

“The Force Awakens” will look to continue its impressive box office run for the Walt Disney Co. DIS, -0.25% this weekend. Box Office analyst Daniel Garris expects the film to bring in another $50 million to lead all other films.

Industry analysts and experts will also have an eye overseas, as “The Force Awakens” makes its theatrical debut in China—the world’s second largest movie market. MKM Partners analyst Eric Handler wrote in a note that the industry expects “The Force Awakens” to have a $20 million opening day in China and go on to gross $150 million, plus some, over the weekend. The film has pulled in $1.58 billion in world-wide box office revenue, enough for the No. 4 spot among the top earners.

This weekend will also see Fox’s FOXA, +0.00% FOX, +0.04% “The Revenant” expand to 3,375 theaters. The film has earned $1.5 million since its four-theater opening on Dec. 25 and has garnered critical acclaim as lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio strives for his first Oscar. The first test will come during the 73rd Golden Globes, which air on NBC at 8 p.m. Eastern Time this Sunday. “The Revenant” is nominated for four Golden Globes, including best picture (drama) and best actor in a film (drama) for DiCaprio.

Garris expects “The Revenant,” which cost a reported $135 million to produce, will bring in $30 million this weekend, enough to finish No. 2.

Gramercy Pictures, owned by Comcast Corp.’s CMCSA, +0.10% Universal Studios, will debut the supernatural horror film “The Forest” this weekend. The film, starring Natalie Dormer and Taylor Kinney, is based a woman’s (Dormer) search for the truth about her sister in the Aokigahara Forest in Japan where people go to commit suicide—the forest, at the base of Mount Fuji, is often referred to as the Suicide Forest. Garris expects the film will open with $8.5 million.

Box Office analysts forecast a strong weekend for the box office thanks, in large part, to “The Force Awakens” and “The Revenant.” The top 10 films this weekend are expected to total about $150 million, which would be a 43% increase compared with the same period a year ago when the top films brought in $104.7 million. Fox’s $39.2 million opening for “Taken 3” and $11.3 million from “Selma,” distributed by Viacom Inc.-owned VIA, +4.33% VIAB, +5.37% Paramount, were the top two films.

Looking past this weekend, 2016 has a strong slate of films analysts hope can push the overall box office to another impressive year after 2015’s record-breaking $11.1 billion in revenue.

Online movie ticket retailer Fandango, owned by NBCUniversal, conducted a survey at the end of 2015 to see what films moviegoers were most looking forward to going into 2016. Disney’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (Dec. 16) and Pixar’s “Finding Dory” (June 17) are the top two most-anticipated films for 2016.

Source: MarketWatch