The eighth installment of the blockbuster space saga topped the charts in North America for a second week, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, pulling in US$68.5 million to rack up total earnings of US$365 million since it opened last weekend.
Its triumph echoed last year’s Christmas number one, “Star Wars: Rogue One,” which told the backstory to the original 1977 hit.
The movie has so far netted US$745.4 million worldwide, according to industry analyst Paul Dergarabedian, although the record to beat remains 2009’s “Avatar,” which earned US$2.7 billion.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the 2015 predecessor to the “The Last Jedi,” made just under US$2 billion.
Christmas week is traditionally a time when studios flood the screens with new releases, and the Star Wars epic was trailed by three new films.
In second place was the Dwayne Johnson family adventure “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” which made US$34 million for Sony.
“Pitch Perfect 3,” which follows the continuing adventures of glee singers the Bellas, led by Anna Kendrick, was in third, earning US$20.5 million for Universal.
That was followed by “The Greatest Showman,” a musical in which Hugh Jackman plays the legendary circus impresario PT Barnum. That earned US$8.6 million over the three-day weekend period.
Animated feature “Ferdinand,” the story of a pacifist bull forced to face down the greatest bullfighter in the world, was fifth. It netted weekend receipts of US$7 million in the United States and Canada in its second week.
Rounding out the top ten were:
“Coco” (US$5.2 million)
“Downsizing” (US$4.6 million)
“Darkest Hour” (US$4.1 million)
“Father Figures” (US$3.2 million)
“The Shape of Water” (US$3.1 million)