Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens got 2016 off to a sizzling start in Germany, as J.J. Abrams’ take on the sci-fi franchise easily won its third weekend in the territory, grossing $10.9 million (€10 million) to bring its total take to around $80 million (€75 million) in the territory.
Less than a month in, Star Wars is already the seventh highest-grossing film of all time in Germany, not taking inflation into account. To compare, the current all-time record holder, Avatar, grossed €114 million in Germany back in 2009.
Star Wars had some stiff competition in the form of the winter holidays, with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day falling on Thursday and Friday, respectively, and German fans choosing to party instead of going to the movies. That made the film’s weekend gross all the more impressive.
Star Wars is certain to continue to dominate the German charts in January, where it faces little direct competition. Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer The Revenant and transgender period drama The Danish Girl, which both open in Germany this week, are unlikely to challenge Star Wars‘ position at the top.
The first head-to-head confrontation will come with J Blakeson’s YA sci-fi drama The Fifth Wave, which opens in Germany on Jan. 11.
But there were also several smaller titles making a counter-programming impact. Ich Bin Dann Mal Weg, a German dramedy, earned $2.4 million (€2.2 million) in its second frame, followed by The Peanuts Movie with $1.85 million (€1.7 million) and, perhaps surprisingly, Spectre. The latest James Bond film continues to deliver in Germany, earning $1.3 million in its ninth weekend.
David O. Russell’s Joy recorded the best new start for the first weekend of 2016, landing in the seventh slot with just under $1 million in box-office revenue.
With more than 2.3 million tickets sold and a $22.9 million (€21 million) total gross, the German box office was tracking slightly ahead of the same frame last year.
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