WP/Reuters:'Star Wars' Midnight Showings Total $16.5 Million(break record)

'Star Wars' Midnight Showings Total $16.5 Million
By Steve Gorman
Reuters
Friday, May 20, 2005; 2:57 PM


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The grand finale to the "Star Wars" saga opened in sold-out theaters on Thursday to legions of fans dressed in their Jedi finest, generating an estimated $16.5 million at debut midnight showings alone.

The unprecedented tally reported by distributor 20th Century Fox from some 2,900 midnight screenings fueled anticipation that "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" would mark one of the biggest film openings of all time.

"This is a huge number," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking service Exhibitor relations. "It portends a huge opening day number. I think the sky's the limit right now."

An estimate for the movie's entire first day was not expected until Friday, and Dergarabedian said there was little to measure "Sith" against so far. Studios rarely break out figures for midnight showings only.

Perhaps the closest comparison, Dergarabedian said, was to "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which took in roughly $8 million from 2,100 midnight, midweek screenings in December 2003. That film went on to gross $34.5 million for its first whole day and $124 million through its opening weekend....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/19/AR2005051901540.html

:rofl:

It would suck to be a sheeple republican Star Wars fan.... ha ha... thing these retards don't realize is that Lucas says he wrote it in the 70s.... Of course it really goes to show you how the Republicans have taken hold of the Senate .... then and only after they have put people in power to ensure their success did they mess with elections... the similarities are staggering... but of course as Lucas has said "I didn't think it was going to get this close. I hope this doesn't come true in our country."

As for Vader himself:
When the Ottawa Sun asked Christensen if the flick “takes metaphoric shots at the war-mongering politics of U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and the two George Bushes” the star answered: “Absolutely.”

He went on to say that he thinks that some people who weren’t American allies in the Iraq war will love “Revenge of the Sith” because of it.

“I think for that reason the French will be really responsive to it,” Christensen said. “I think they’ll get it. They’ll get the political commentary and the subtext. Anakin says: ‘If you’re not with me, you’re my enemy!’ I think they’ll love it.’”


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7750917/

his expectations were high...he says it f&*cking rocks.