New Movies December 18: The Force Finally Wakes
by EG
It's been a long time coming, but the new Star Wars movie is no longer far, far away. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens opens this week, and it is, without question, one of the most highly anticipated film openings in recent history. It is not, however, the only new movie opening this week.
The Force Awakens will certainly win the week, and its opening-weekend take will probably be the highest of the year. If it achieves that goal by beating Jurassic World's $208 million, it will also boast the biggest opening weekend of all time. The Force Awakens has already pre-sold more than $50 million in tickets, itself a record, so it stands a good chance of besting Jurassic World.
For young audiences who are not quite ready for the intensity of Star Wars, there's a new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie hitting theaters this weekend, too. Don't expect this one to make much of a splash, though.
The new film that will be most negatively affected by Star Wars competition is Sisters, a comedy starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. It's getting mediocre reviews, and there's plenty of overlap between its potential audience and that of Star Wars. If those moviegoers choose Star Wars this week, who knows if they'll remember to come back to the theater for Sisters next week.