The Force Awakens Bits: The “Official” ‘Star Wars’ Music Video, Your Poe/Finn Shipping Gets Shot Down, More Broken Box Office Records
Welcome back to The Force Awakens Bits, the regular feature that will exist untilStar Wars: Episode 8decides to murderStar Wars: The Force Awakensand steal its throne. In today’s edition:
[via Dailymotion]
The originalStar Warstrilogy was not available in China until last year, which means that the audiences there (who can often make or break the international gross of a movie) have no nostalgic attachment to this series. This has led Lucasfilm and Disney to fret over whether or not the movie will make a splash at the box office there, which has led them to hiring LuHan, a young pop star, as the “official China Ambassador forStar Wars: The Force Awakens.“Step one in his new gig: this spellbindingly awful music video, brought to our attention by the folks atScreenCrush. Enjoy. Sort of.
So, how hasThe Force Awakensbeen performing in China since it opened on January 9? It depends on whom you ask and where you look.Varietyreported its record-breaking $33 million opening day.Deadlineoffered an update, claiming that it made $52 million over the entire weekend. However,Forbesreports that its box office has plunged every day since the opening, suggesting that the film simply isn’t catching on with Chinese audiences. What does this mean? If nothing else, it means thatThe Force Awakensprobably won’t catch up toAvatar(which was an enormous success in China) at the international box office. That’s okay. Star Wars will have to settle foronly$2 billion and change.
In all seriousness, don’t weep forThe Force Awakens' box office. Even if it doesn’t break every record, it’s broken enough records to make everyone involved happy for a long time.Deadlinehas compiled a complete list:
Fastest highest-grossing film at domestic B.O.: 20 days (beatsAvatar’s $760.5M)
Fastest to $700M at domestic B.O.: 16 days (crossed January 2)
Fastest to $600M at domestic B.O.: 12 days (crossed December 29)
Fastest to $500M at domestic B.O.: 10 days (crossed December 27)
Fastest to $400M at domestic B.O.: 8 days (crossed December 25)
Fastest to $300M at domestic B.O.: 5 days (crossed December 22)
Fastest to $200M at domestic B.O.: 3 days (crossed December 20)
Fastest to $100M at domestic B.O.: 21 hours (crossed December 18)
Biggest preview night ever: $57M
Biggest opening day at the domestic B.O.: $119.1M
Biggest opening weekend at the domestic B.O.: $247.97M
Highest per-theater average for a wide debut: $59,982
Best Imax opening: global ($48M) and domestic ($30.1M)
Biggest opening week at the domestic B.O.: $390.85M
Biggest opening weekend at the worldwide B.O.: $528.97M
Biggest domestic Sunday ($60.55M), Monday ($40.1M), Tuesday ($37.3M), Christmas Day ($49.3M) and New Year’s Day ($34.39M)
Biggest second domestic weekend: $149.2M
Biggest third domestic weekend: $90.2M
Pushed the total domestic annual box office to a record $11B on December 29
Fastest to cross $1 billion at global B.O.: 12 days (crossed December 27, beatingJurassic World’s record of 13 days)
Led biggest total weekend (for all films): $312.9M (December 18-20)
Led biggest total Christmas weekend (for all films): $296.4M (December 25-27)
Biggest December foreign debut: $281M (beatingAvatar’s $164.5M in 2009)
As previously suspected and reported,Star Wars: Episode 8is recreating key areas of Skellig Michael, the Irish island that served as a location for the final scene ofThe Force Awakens, on sound stages and other locations.Making Star Warsnotes that the production is creating “cheat” location that will double as the gorgeous, mountainous isle… it just won’t require the danger and difficulty that accompanies filming on a gorgeous, mountainous isle.
Here’s a picture of Chewbacca actorPeter MayhewandSimon Pegghanging out, because why not? You know these two had some fun conversations. And now that Pegg has played aStar Warsalien, they can swap stories about wearing uncomfortable costumes in the desert heat.
Remember when theStar Wars: The Force Unleashed IIvideo game predicted the end ofThe Force Awakensby featuring the death of Han Solo at the hands of a lightsaber-wielding maniac? The internet remembers.
Sad new, Poe/Finn shippers: these two aren’t going to be eloping anytime soon. However, this doesn’t mean that Mr. Dameron isn’t going to fall for another heroic young man in the near future. So keep your other specific Poe Dameron fantasies alive, everyone.
We, as a people, should probably stop asking Samuel L. Jackson aboutStar Wars: The Force Awakens. While appearing onWatch What Happens Live(viaCinemaBlend), the currentHateful Eightstar and formerStar Warsprequels actor said this about John Boyega’s totally-not-in-love-with-Poe Finn:
Well, apparently he’s [Finn] got some midi-chlorians of he wouldn’t have been able to turn the fucking lightsaber on.
You know he brought up midi-chlorians just to rile up the nerds and… well, good on you, Mr. Jackson. You marvelous troll, you. But as any self-respecting nerd will tell you, a lightsaber is just a tool – Han Solo uses one to cut open a Tauntaun inThe Empire Strikes Back.
Maybe Mr. Jackson is just grumpy thatThe Force Awakenshas officially allowedHarrison Fordto surpass himas the highest grossing actor in U.S. box office history. With Star Wars' record-breaking box office backing him up, Ford’s totally career haul now sits at $4.699 billion, while Jackson’s career box office is now atotally pathetic$4.626 billion.
And while we’re talking about people being grumpy, the always fascinating critic/uber-trollArmond Whitehas published his annual “Better-Than” list, where he arbitrarily compares movies seemingly for the sake of creating conversation and/or riling people up. And as you’d expect, he’s not particularly fond ofThe Force Awakens. Here he is explaining whyMacbethis better than the newStar Wars:
Justin Kurzel uses Shakespeare to envision a metaphor for modern political nihilism, a moving, classical reminder of what has been lost to Star Wars infantilism. Yes, Star Wars again. Its menace is no phantom.
“It’s menace is no phantom.” Never change, Mr. White. You are one of this industry’s few genuine weirdos.
Spoilers if you haven’t seen#TheForceAwakens. This#StarWarscomic really tugs at the ol' heartstrings.pic.twitter.com/BlSuqGtVeU
— Dan Casey (@DanCasey)June 01, 2025
This has been making the social media rounds lately… and for good reason. Grab your tear-wiping, snot-collecting implement of choice!
Just when you thought the internet was all out of niftyStar Warsthings to offer, the officialStar Wars sitehad to go and offer you the chance to explore virtual versions of Jakku and a First Order Star Destroyer. It’s not the most most immersive thing in the galaxy, but now you have something to fiddle with instead of doing work.
Bill HaderandBen Schwartzare credited as the “voice” of BB-8, as they were drafted to record lines that would influence how the adorable little droid spoke. Schwartz spoke about the experience on Comedy Bang Bang (viaThe Mary Sue). However, the real reason you’re here is to see Schwartz’sParks and Recreationcharacter, Jean-Ralphio, mashed up with BB-8. So here you go.
The Guardianhas published a fun article about what it’s like to watchThe Force Awakensseven times in theaters and how you start to notice the little things. Case in point:
Indeed, I stopped wearing my Rey costume to see The Force Awakens after the fourth screening because I was beginning to get horrifically embarrassed about its lack of screen accuracy (in my defence, Ididmake it for the Melbourne premiere with only the trailers and posters as my guide). Screen accuracy is in the eye of the beholder, however, and it didn’t stop little girls from rushing up to me for photos in the candy bar or whispering “it’s Rey” as they passed me on the escalators.
And here’s the costume in question:
Back in the saddle, doing a throw for tonight’s episode of THE PROJECT ????????????
A photo posted by Clem Bastow (@clambistro) onDec 16, 2015 at 8:23pm PST
The Hollywood Reporterhad a really interesting chat withThe Force AwakenseditorsMaryann BrandonandMary Jo Markey, who revealed that the key scene where Kylo Ren talks to Darth Vader’s ruined helmet originally appeared much earlier in the movie:
Also noteworthy: Leia was originally introduced much earlier in the film, but they chose to build up to her appearance instead.
