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Except a more well trained Luke got the shit kicked out of him by Vader in ESB. And wise old Dooku beat the insanely powerful Anakin in AOTC. In the Star Wars universe, the Force isn't a power you entirely understand without training and guidance, none of which Rey had. She really shouldn't have gotten over a more experienced rage monster who just killed his father. It's the only part of Rey's story arc that I didn't like. If this is expanded on in the sequels, the entire criticism may be rendered moot. It did with Luke, as he and Rey share some of the same character problems in their first films.

After thinking it over, some positives and negatives: -All the nostalgia moments were played pitch perfect, except maybe for Luke not having any lines. That probably would have spoiled the end if he did, though. -I loved tough scavenger Rey. Less fond of Force powers outta nowhere Rey. -Finn was my favorite character and I loved his disillusioned soldier story arc. Wish it paid off more, but that'll probably be addressed more in the sequels. -I expected a fresh Star Wars story, so I wasn't fond of the ANH retelling. They did it well, but that and the similar locations to the Original Trilogy (Sand planet! Forest planet! Ice Planet/Space Death Ray!) made the film feel redundant compared to the rest of the saga. -Even with the masses of computer effects, the film felt very organic (something the prequels never did well). It's part staging and part writing. -The final lightsaber battle sucked any menace out of Kylo Ren. He should have beat down both Rey and Finn, only for Chewie to come to the rescue on the Falcon as the planet disintegrates. The film isn't on ANH or ESB level, but is very fun and a step above ROTJ, especially in dialog. I hope for something more innovative and refreshing with Rogue One and Episode 8. Edit: Oh, and Rey is Luke lost daughter. Skywalker theme and all that. Maybe Luke's wife was killed when Ren rebelled and he left Rey on an obscure planet with nothing to trace her back to him.

Do we forget that nobody thought Jurassic World would pass $150 million OW this summer, let alone break the then record.

Han is dead. If the lightsaber through the chest didn't kill him, the fall most certainly did. If the fall didn't kill him, Starkiller Base going supernova absolutely did. I don't think Leia would have reacted like she did if Han was only mortally wounded. We only have a chance for a Han Solo Force Ghost, but those odds are slim to none.

Even though we all expected it, I'm still blown away that TFA obliterated the December weekend record within 18 hours of release.

So, TFA did 63.5 during regular Friday showings. Is $70m still max capacity for US/Canada cinemas or does that even matter in the digital age?

We're holding our collective breath for the records to start falling next week. I'm happy SPECTRE is holding nicely and hope it won't be demolished too bad by the Lucasfilm juggernaut.

SPECTRE has been mirroring SKYFALL's drops recently, so it should just pass $200 million. Theater count will play a big role, with the holiday blockbusters coming in 2 weeks.

Creed....increased?

MJ1 did $103.8 million Mon-Sun. Expect a similar performance upcoming.

Notably, MJ2 had a better Sunday hold than either MJ1 or CF. We'll see if that indicates anything long term.

It's possible that a single film version of Mockingjay would have performed similarly as MJ1 last year. It's happened to lots of third installments.

It'll make it, even if Lionsgate has to Puerto Rico it over.

The pre Thanksgiving weekend specifically gives the immediacy of the big opening weekend while taking advantage of the 5 day weekend afterwards to extend the legs a bit. Plus, if a film holds on long enough, it will get a bit of those delicious holiday weekdays. That's how Catching Fire did nearly $300 million in 10 days, outgrossing films that opened at a similar level, but lacked the benefit of a holiday weekend.

Three franchises with Maze Runner included. All with major releases last year and this year, all with lower than expected returns at the box office in 2015.

Could it just be that the relentless young adult adaption cycle is finally starting to get to people? We've had nearly as many of these as superhero films the past few years.

Not so much the issues themselves, but the production delays lead to Dalton not really caring about the part anymore. Shame. For the record, the biggest unadjusted Bond film pre GoldenEye was Moonraker at $210 million worldwide and $70 million domestic.

The decline in Bond ticket sales happened in ernest in the US at AVTAK in 1985. While that can be blamed on an ageing Moore outlasting his audience, the Dalton period that succeeded it didn't instill any confidence. Internationally, it started earlier at Moonraker and fell more gradually throughout the decade. Bond wouldn't reach the popularity levels of 60's and 70's abroad until Craig's tenure. For what it's worth, the 6 year gap between LTK and GE had little to do with the box office in the 80's and more to do with financial issues at MGM and lawsuits between EON and MGM's new owners. If it wasn't for that, a third Dalton film between 1991 and 1993 likely would have happened.

That's not even close to true. Octopussy sold lots of tickets in the US, but by the time the mid 80's ended, Bond had fallen off in both US and international markets. A brief mild resurgence with TLD didn't last. If you track ticket sales and adjusted dollars, there is a downward trend starting with Moonraker and ending with Licence to Kill.

Look at all dem boosts. Who's up for a 90% Thursday drop?

Also, numbers Bond fans would consider "good" for Skyfall are now "disappointing" 3 years later. The price paid for higher expectations.

Saw Spectre yesterday. Enjoyed it, but wasn't thrilled (if that makes any sense). While anything above $220 million or so domestic is par for a modern Bond film, it's not the best thing for the megabudget behemoth that Spectre turned out to be.

Funny, I was never bored of YOLT during either of my last two marathons. I even started it late at night this time because I remembered it being a quick, action packed watch. A film with no backing, but a film that was never dull. I'm actually ahead with my actual viewings by a good bit (finished LALD last night), but just don't have reviews formed for them yet.

Rankings at the end of Connery's first run: GOLDFINGER FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE THUNDERBALL YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE DR. NO