'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' to top $1 bln in ticket sales by Sunday

Dec 26 (Reuters) - The Force remains strong with the new
"Star Wars" movie, which is on track to top $1 billion in global
ticket sales this weekend, making it the fastest-ever film to
reach that level.
Walt Disney Co DIS.N said in a statement on Saturday that
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" had generated box office receipts
of $890.3 million globally through Dec. 25 and would pass $1
billion this weekend.
The movie, the seventh installment in the newly rebooted
Star Wars franchise, opened in some international markets on
Dec. 16 before rolling out in North America the following day.
It is set to hit the $1 billion mark no later than Sunday,
its 12th day in theaters, according to industry research firm
Rentrak.
The current record holder for being the fastest to gross $1
billion is Comcast Corp CMCSA.O -owned Universal Pictures'
"Jurassic World," which took 13 days after its release earlier
this year, Rentrak said.
The new "Star Wars" movie had already topped "Jurassic
World" for the biggest opening weekend ever with $529 million
globally.
Disney said "Star Wars" has rung up $440.4 million in U.S.
and Canada ticket sales and $449.9 million internationally, and
it is set to open in China, the world's No. 2 movie market, on
Jan. 9. China is crucial if Disney's first foray into the world
of Jedi knights is to earn a spot among the top-grossing films
of all time.
On Friday, "The Force Awakens" set a U.S. and Canadian
record for largest box office on Christmas day with $49.3
million, Disney said. That topped the previous record of $24.6
million set by "Sherlock Holmes" in 2009.
Disney purchased the "Star Wars" franchise from George
Lucas' Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.05 billion, and has planned for
a new trilogy of films as well as standalone installments
through 2019.
The franchise will also be incorporated at U.S. Disney theme
parks, bringing to life the droids, spaceships and otherworldly
creatures of the universe that Lucas created in 1977 and is set
in a galaxy far, far away.