Revenge of the Sith Smashes Box Office Records!

Unstoppable Force

by Dave Karger, Entertainment Weekly

Holy Sith, what a huge opening! 'Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith' surpassed even the highest expectations and shattered box office records in its opening weekend, grossing $108.5 million over the Friday-to-Sunday weekend and an unbelievable $158.5 million since hitting theaters last Thursday, according to studio estimates.

From the first minute the final 'Star Wars' installment began unspooling, at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, it was historic. In its first 24 hours, it grossed $50 million, becoming the only film ever to do so. Its four-day tally tops the previous record-holder, 'The Matrix Reloaded,' which premiered with $134.3 million two years ago. It also blew away the four-day openings of the first two 'Star Wars' prequels, which earned $105.7 million and $110.2 million, respectively. It was certainly helped by its larger theater count (it played in 3,661 theaters nationwide, compared with 3,161 for 'Attack of the Clones'), but its per-theater average was also considerably higher than those of the other prequels. 'Sith' also became only the third film to pass the $100 million mark in its third day of release, after 'Spider-Man' and 'Reloaded.' Plus, it grossed $144.7 million internationally, bringing its worldwide four-day total to an unheard-of $303.2 million.

Meanwhile, 'Monster-in-Law' slipped 38 percent to second place with $14.4 million in its second weekend, followed by 'Kicking and Screaming,' which fell 48 percent to $10.5 million. The ensemble drama 'Crash' continued its strong hold, down only 22 percent to $5.5 million, while 'Unleashed' plummeted 65 percent to $3.9 million. The Force apparently couldn't be with everyone.



Rank Movie Title Weekend Gross Total Gross Weeks in
release
1 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith $108,500,000 $158,500,000 1
2 Monster-in-Law $14,300,000 $44,200,000 2
3 Kicking & Screaming $10,500,000 $34,000,000 2
4 Crash $5,500,000 $27,600,000 3
5 Unleashed $3,800,000 $17,600,000 2
6 Kingdom of Heaven $3,400,000 $41,000,000 3
7 House of Wax $3,100,000 $26,800,000 3
8 The Interpreter $2,800,000 $65,300,000 5
9 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy $2,000,000 $46,900,000 4
10 Mindhunters $900,000 $3,500,000 2