Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith scored $50 million in first-day receipts at 3,661 theaters across the nation on Thursday, box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations said Friday. The take handily beats the one-day record of $44.8 million set last year by "Shrek 2." "Sith" is distributed by News Corp.'s (NWS) 20th Century Fox film unit.

Update:

Here's a report from Box Office Mojo on the the movie's North American box office:

After starting the day with $16,912,367 from midnight shows alone, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith closed Thursday with $50,013,859 from an estimated 9,400 screens at 3,661 theaters. That's the biggest day ever for a single movie in history.

"When I consider it's a Thursday with kids in school, I'd figure it can't do that," distributor 20th Century Fox's head of distribution, Bruce Snyder, told Box Office Mojo. "I did not think we could do $50 million. I was thinking maybe we could catch up to Shrek 2 on Saturday. I'm as surprised as the rest of the world."

For further perspective, the biggest opening weekend of the year thus far had been Hitch's $43.1 million, and Revenge of the Sith blew past that in one day. Sith's gross is surprising, in part, because the previous Star Wars installment, Attack of the Clones, had an opening day on par with The Phantom Menace and ultimately made significantly less. In 2002, Clones grossed $30.1 million on its way to $310.7 million, while Phantom earned $28.5 million en route to $431.1 million.

wonder what it made Worldwide?

It's money back in one day probably.
[Edited 5/20/05 15:13pm]

purpledoveuk said:

Those are excellent points. It was almost like watching The Last Temptation of Skywalker.

To me, that movie totally rocked! I mean, I don't even know where Lucas got that sense of drama from, after the first two. It was really a trip...

One thing that really surprised me, was that they hinted at Anakin killing the young Jedis. They could just have left that out and nobody (except for the real nerds) would even remember them. But they went all the way with Anakin's anger, great.

TMPletz said:

From Return of the Jedi, you get the idea Padme married Bail Organa after Anakin became Vader, and died when Leia was around 3 or 4. Lucas changed the story, which is typical of him.

uPtoWnNY said:

Hmm...I had never gotten that from ROTJ. I had always believed that she was adopted.

TMPletz said:

Bail did adopt her, but I thought Padme died during Leia's early years.

uPtoWnNY said:

That's what I was thinking as well.

namepeace said:

I laways though that Bail and Padme might have been in a love-triangle with Anakin and thats what made him turn to the Darkside but,looking back, the Star Wars stuff Ive had for many many years points to the exact story that we see now - Leia being adopted for her own safety

BTW, where does some of you get this "Palpatine might be Anakin's father" from? Must have missed that. Is it in the scene after they killed Mace Windu?

I also find it funny how lame-ass Ben Kenobi's fight with Vader is in IV, compared to what some grandpa like Cunt Dooku can do nowadays. The wonder of technology!

calldapplwondery83 said:

In the opera scene - Palpatine tells Anakin about the legend of the Sith lord (cant remember his name) who was so powerful that he coudl use the Darkside to create life from nothing just by altering the Mid-chlorians (sp?) and that this Sith Lord passed on his secret to his Apprentice before his apprentice murdered him in his sleep.

As you will remember Anakin was born from a miraculous conception - so the conversation in the Opera is Palpatines way of telling Anakin that eiher Palpatine or Palpatines old master is his 'father'...this might be a lie just to get connected to Anakin but either way he says it

calldapplwondery83 said:

I think we are menat to assume that Ben Kenobi i buying time in Episode 4...he knows hes more use 'dead' so he just giveing Luke tiem to get clear

Still doesnt expalin why Drath is a bit slow though...perhaps he needs some oil!!!

SquirrelMeat said:

Where were you sat dude...good seats?
[Edited 5/21/05 2:30am]

purpledoveuk said:

Well, of course now that the fight is like it is, this can be taken as an explanation, but you know if they did Episode 4 today, the fight would look a lot different. He still would let Vader kill him, but there would be more action of course.

calldapplwondery83 said:

Yeah you're right - hes been tweaking it up until the last moment to get it to fit together...hence the changes on DVD..or so he said

purpledoveuk said:

All the seats seemed pretty good. I was in R9. Judging from your pic (unless you ran down the front) you were in the front left?

Was it a fun day or what?

purpledoveuk said:

I don't disagree with you over the idea, but I thing it was terribly executed. I've seen it 6 times now, and each time, it almost makes me laugh. Its simply so cheap and tacky!

To me, Anakin died when he turned on Padme and then said (minus legs) to obi, "I HATE YOU!". A Jedi does not hate. That was the end of old him.

The bit in the suit almost brought him back for a moment, which I think was a mistake.

HamsterHuey said:

I hate that bit! A shameless publicity stunt for George to put his son on his movie!

I worship the first star wars, before they tacked on the episode 4 letters, and I give this new one a thumbs down, but I'm still going to see it again.

Neversin said:

Lucas would make up the scripts as he went along (yes he had somekind of shorthand story outline, but it is far removed from what has ended up in the finished films).

He did not even intend Vader to be Luke's father when he made Star Wars... he wrote that idea OUT when he sweated over the rewrites and then filmed the first movie.

HamsterHuey said:

it's also funny how much more fear you have for ben being in danger of being killed by vader. He looks all troubled, sick and sweaty... and then he does get killed. A truly interesting and likable character played by a top notch actor gets killed.

The first Star Wars rules.

calldapplwondery83 said:

I watched the movie yesterday! It touched me so much - I was moved!

While I wasn't terribly fond of Episode III, there's one thing in particular I like about it. I always kind of felt like the end of Return of the Jedi was a deus ex machina moment in the Star Wars trilogy; Vader, up until the moment he saves Luke, doesn't seem to be showing any signs of giving up his evil ways (Nor does anything we really know about the character suggest he will), and then out of nowhere, Lucas decides he'll have a change of heart, because he didn't want to have a downer ending where Luke dies.

But after seeing ROTS, that part finally makes sense to me. I'd imagine Vader probably had a lot of contempt for Palpatine after the end result of following him left both himself and everything he cared about so utterly destroyed, and after seeing how much he cared for Padme (As embarassing as those scenes may have been), it was clear that he couldn't just stand by and watch one of the children they had together die.
[Edited 5/22/05 0:40am]

i watched it again and i must say that it was even better the second time round.
I was looking out for the Millenium Falcon but i couldnt see it


btw
i would like to start reading the books can anyone reccomend which ones i should be reading first to fully appreciate the whole story?

The Millenium Falcon is really, really small in a scene when someone lands somewhere, can't remember. You really can only see it by pure coincidence if you're not told where it is. I have seen it! And I feel special!

ufoclub said:

Leia remembers Padmé through the Force. Don't you recall that she says she remembers "feelings really"?
[Edited 5/22/05 11:34am]

What I found interesting is that when Padme died the doctors said she had lost the will to live. That means if Anakin hadn't turned to the dark side she never would have died! Maybe the emperor gave Anakin the nighmarish visions of Padme dying in the first place.

i "just" saw it last night ...

and i have to say ... i was disapointed some

reading the kevin smith review ... and then - a local reviewer gave it 4 stars ... sayin he loved it ...

anyways ... i will say it was "better " than the first 2 (in this series)... but ... so many of the scenes .... were like ... "what the ___" ...

ourdestiny said:

That was really the only thing I really hate about the movie. You mean you can save this dude that just had all his limbs cut off and was burned alive, but there ain't shit you can do about a chic who's depressed? I mean you can't inject her with some "will to live" juice or high-grade Xanex?

Anxiety said:

thought the movie was awesome!!!