Lucasfilm Sends a Genuinely Gracious Congratulations Card After ‘Spider-Man’ Dethrones ‘The Force Awakens’
Box office rivalries between studios don’t always end with bitterness, and every so often the outgoing record holder finds a genuinely classy way to acknowledge its successor. That’s exactly what played out this week after one of the most decorated box office records in recent memory officially changed hands.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ had held the title of highest-grossing domestic release for over a decade, fending off challengers ranging from ‘Avatar’ to ‘Avengers: Endgame’ since its 2015 debut. That record finally fell after Sony and Marvel’s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ crossed $936.773 million in North American ticket sales after just 47 days in theaters, surpassing the $936.6 million ‘The Force Awakens’ earned across its full 165-day run.
Rather than let the milestone pass without acknowledgment, Lucasfilm decided to join what’s become something of a tradition among rival studios when box office records change hands. The studio released a congratulations card for ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,‘ playing on Emperor Palpatine’s iconic line from ‘Return of the Jedi’: “Impressive. Most impressive.”
Posted through the official Star Wars social media account, Lucasfilm’s message read in full: “From a galaxy far, far away, everyone at Lucasfilm sends massive congratulations to Destin, Tom, everyone at Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios and the entire team behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day on setting a new domestic box office record and taking the crown, referencing both director Destin Daniel Cretton and star Tom Holland by name. The gesture drew widespread praise online, with fans appreciating the sincerity behind the studio’s response rather than any hint of bitterness over losing such a long-held record.
Impressive. Most Impressive.
— Star Wars (@starwars) September 16, 2026
From a galaxy far, far away, everyone at Lucasfilm sends massive congratulations to Destin, Tom, everyone at Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios and the entire team behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day on setting a new domestic box office record and taking… pic.twitter.com/0GhXTwSbda
That kind of graceful handoff mirrors how the record itself was originally claimed a decade earlier, when ‘The Force Awakens’ overtook ‘Avatar’ as the reigning domestic champion back in 2015. Records like this one tend to stick around for years given how rare it is for any single film to dominate ticket sales this thoroughly, making the speed of ‘Brand New Day’s’ achievement especially notable.
The scale of Marvel and Sony’s accomplishment becomes even clearer when comparing the two films’ pacing directly. While ‘The Force Awakens’ took a full 165 days to reach its final domestic tally, ‘Brand New Day’ matched and surpassed that entire five-and-a-half-month run in less than seven weeks, a pace that’s left industry analysts suggesting this particular record could prove nearly unbeatable for years to come.
A Brand New Day starts now.
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) March 18, 2026
Watch the official trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day – exclusively in theatres July 31. pic.twitter.com/O4ryqpTCZX
The film’s success extends well beyond just the domestic milestone. ‘Brand New Day’ currently holds a “Certified Fresh” 90 percent critics’ score and a “Verified Hot” 97 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, while its worldwide total has climbed toward $2 billion, positioning it among the very biggest global releases of all time even as it sits just behind franchise titans like ‘Avatar’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ internationally.
For two franchises that have each defined blockbuster filmmaking in their own respective eras, this kind of mutual respect between Lucasfilm and Marvel’s teams offers a genuinely feel-good footnote to what’s already been one of the most dominant theatrical runs in recent box office history. With Sony and Marvel’s tentpole now firmly cemented atop the domestic charts, this particular Force may finally have met its match.
What do you think of Lucasfilm congratulating Spider-Man: Brand New Day on breaking The Force Awakens' box office record?
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