Disney's Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally here, and fans turned out in record-breaking numbers to see this highly-anticipated sci-fi sequel. This big screen adventure took in $238 million at the box office, shattering the $208.8 million mark set by Jurassic World this summer. Some fans in New York and London were treated to a very special surprise, though, an unannounced appearance by one of the film's new stars, John Boyega. Over the weekend, the actor posted and retweeted a number of photos and videos from his appearances on his official Twitter account, which you can check out below.
The opening weekend record is just one of many box office records that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has already broken. Star Wars: The Force Awakens set new marks for highest Thursday preview gross with $57 million, the biggest Friday and single-day gross with $120.5 million, making it the first film ever to earn $100 million in a single day. It also became the fastest movie to reach both the $100 million and $200 million domestic box office milestones, while shattering the December opening weekend gross of $84.6 million. It also set new records for biggest IMAX Thursday night preview ($5.7 million), single-day ($14 million, Friday), and weekend ($30.1 million), and the highest per-theater average for a wide release ($57,568).
Star Wars: The Force Awakens will introduce three new heroes into the Star Wars universe, John Boyega's Finn, Daisy Ridley's Rey and Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron, along with Adam Driver's villainous Kylo Ren. Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Carrie Fisher are also reprising their iconic roles from the original trilogy, although very little is known about their characters. The Star Wars: The Force Awakens supporting cast includes Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke and Max von Sydow as an unidentified character.
J.J. Abrams directs Star Wars: The Force Awakens from a screenplay he co-wrote with Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are serve as producers with Tommy Harper and Jason D. McGatlin executive producing. Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be followed by the first spinoff, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, arriving on December 16, 2016. Star Wars: Episode VIII is slated for release on May 26, 2017, with Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo Movie arriving on May 25, 2018 and Star Wars: Episode IX premiering sometime in 2019.
Below, we have a slew of photos and videos featuring John Boyega's surprise appearances in both New York City and London over the weekend. It isn't known if any of the actor's co-stars also surprised fans in random screenings this weekend, but we'll keep you posted if more photos and videos surface in the near future. What do you think about John Boyega surprising fans at theaters around the world? Chime in with your thoughts, and stay tuned for more on Star Wars: The Force Awakens.