(Adds social media and background throughout)
By Piya Sinha-Roy
LOS ANGELES, Dec 21 (Reuters) - "Star Wars: The Force
Awakens" opened with a record-breaking $248 million at the U.S.
and Canadian box office, and $529 million globally over its
opening weekend, Walt Disney Co DIS.N said on Monday.
The film, the seventh installment in a newly rebooted "Star
Wars" franchise, garnered the biggest opening weekend both
domestically and internationally, and pushed Disney's 2015 box
office gross past the $5 billion mark.
"The Force Awakens" opened in some international markets on
Dec. 16 before rolling out in North America from the night of
Dec. 17. It has set box office records for biggest opening in
countries including the United Kingdom, Australia and Russia.
IMAX Corp IMAX.N said Monday that the film accounted for
$48 million in ticket sales worldwide.
The film smashed through the previous biggest global box
office opening record, $524 million set by Comcast Corp-owned
CMCSA.O Universal Pictures' "Jurassic World" earlier this
year.
Disney's slate of hit films this year has included Marvel's
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Ant-Man," Pixar animation "Inside
Out" and live action fairytale "Cinderella."
Fans of 'Star Wars' have dominated social media over the
weekend, with more than 64 million people engaging in 140
million interactions about the franchise on Facebook FB.O , the
company said on Monday.
Twitter (N:TWTR) Inc TWTR.N added that "The Force Awakens" became
the most tweeted-about movie of the year, garnering 4.9 million
tweets over the weekend.
The studio 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 Lucas created in 1977 and set in a
galaxy far, far away.