Star Wars: The Force Awakens smashes box-office records

Despite not yet opening in China, the world's second largest movie market, the latest chapter of the epic Star Wars franchise has shattered box-office records on its opening weekend.
An estimated $517m has been taken in as fans all over the world scramble to see the movie event of the year. $238m of that comes from the US and Canada, though record-breaking sales were also seen in the UK, Australia and elsewhere.
Despite this, it remains only the second most lucrative sales weekend ever; Jurassic World took some $525m on its opening weekend in June, though that includes sales from China, where Star Wars won't open for weeks. All told, the movie is expected to challenge Avatar for the crown of highest grossing film of all time.
And lest we get caught up in the numbers, don't forget that it's not just hype. Check out the 5 star review it earned from our own Roe McDermott here.