Star Wars returns at full force

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@Lucasfilm 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Grace Lindsley, Copy Desk Chief

Star Wars is a force to be reckoned with and as ticket sales from the franchise’s latest installment keep pouring in, the world has been reminded of that fact.

On its opening day, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” raked in over $120 million domestically and finished off the weekend with a record-shattering $247 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Ticket sales didn’t die down from there, with the film’s global sales reaching the billion dollar mark 12 days after opening, setting another record as the fastest grossing film of all time, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Compounding the movie’s success, on Jan. 7, “The Force Awakens” beat out “Avatar” as the highest grossing domestic film of all time, with over $770 million in sales and growing, according to Forbes.

All told, according to Box Office Mojo, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” holds 41 different all time records, placing itself miles ahead of all the competition.

In addition to record breaking ticket sales, “The Force Awakens” has received a largely positive reception from critics and fans alike. It sits at a 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and has earned an 81 percent from MetaCritic.

Central certainly hasn’t been immune to the hype.

Andrew Bedford, junior biology major and self-proclaimed Star Wars aficionado, loved the newest Star Wars movie.

“It’s a great reboot,” Bedford said. “Things are looking up from here.”

According to Bedford, there was some concern that “The Force Awakens” would be a repeat of the prequel trilogy. The Star Wars prequels are held in very low regard by fans and critics alike. Bedford said he tried to temper his expectations.

“I wasn’t really sure how it would turn out, but I had faith in [J.J.] Abrams,” Bedford said.

Abrams directed “The Force Awakens” and it was not his first foray into science fiction.

Abrams directed the new Star Trek movies, the TV show “Lost,” the Steven Spielberg film “Super 8” and a whole host of other shows and movies.

According to Bedford, Abrams popularity and accomplishment gave fans a new hope. And they weren’t disappointed.

“It was just awesome,” Bedford said. “I saw it three times.”

Bedford isn’t the only one who feels that way, with reviews from across the internet backing his opinion.

An article in The Rolling Stones said, “J.J. Abrams resuscitates a franchise and delivers the movie event of the year.”

Variety’s chief film critic called the movie “a rousing, even restorative seventh chapter in the immortal space-opera saga.”

An article in The New Yorker reads, “director J. J. Abrams infuses the latest installment of George Lucas’s intergalactic franchise with the spirit of Steven Spielberg in this awestruck, warmhearted and good-humored action spectacle.”

According to Bedford, everyone’s seen the new Star Wars movie and ticket sales certainly back up his claim, as domestic sales continue to climb every weekend. According to Box Office Mojo. As of Jan. 11, sales sit over $812 million.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was a home-run for the studio and audience alike, Bedford said.