《星球大戰(zhàn)》首發(fā)周末刷新多項記錄

《星球大戰(zhàn)》首發(fā)周末刷新多項記錄

迪士尼公司出品的《星球大戰(zhàn)：原力覺醒》17日晚7時起在北美4134家影院上映，成為好萊塢史上首部24小時內(nèi)票房收入過億的影片。凸顯出三年前沃爾特·迪士尼公司(Walt Disney)斥資40億美元購買該系列版權(quán)的原因。

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

smash 粉碎[smæ?]

gross 總收入[gr??s]

royalty 版稅['r???lt?]

acquisition 收購[,ækw?'z??(?)n]

marquee sports rights 室內(nèi)體育賽事轉(zhuǎn)播權(quán)

Star Wars smashes US box office record(315 words)

By Matthew Garrahan in New York

Star Wars: The Force Awakens generated more than half a billion dollars in its opening weekend,smashing the box office record in the US and underscoring why Walt Disney paid $4bn for the rights to the series three years ago.

The film grossed $238m in the US,higher than the $208m mark set this year by Universal Studios' Jurassic World,and an additional $279m around the world.

It set records in markets including the UK,Germany,Australia and Russia. Global returns will climb further on January 9 when the film opens in China,the second-largest movie market after the US.

The Force Awakens is the first of six Star Wars films commissioned by Disney,which will use the characters created by George Lucas to drive consumer product sales and visits to its theme parks. Macquarie Securities estimates that The Force Awakens alone could generate $5bn in consumer product sales,with Disney earning $500m-$1bn in royalties.

The Force Awakens could lift total annual US box office returns past $11bn for the first time and power global takings above $40bn,according to Paul Dergarabedian,a senior analyst with Rentrak,which monitors box office performance.

The launch of the first Star Wars film in a decade comes amid concerns about the growth prospects of ESPN,Disney's sports cable network — and the main driver of the company's profits. Rich Greenfield,analyst with BTIG Research,cut his earnings estimates for 2017,warning that ESPN's profitability would “meaningfully underperform investor expectations”.

Disney's media networks division,which includes ESPN,generates more than 50 per cent of group operating income. However,ESPN has high,fixed costs based on its acquisition of marquee sports rights at a time of shifting viewing behaviour: the sports network lost an estimated 3m subscribers in the year to August,according to Nielsen,the research firm.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測題目：

1.When Walt Disney paid $4bn for the rights to the series?

A.2011

B.2013

C.2012

D.2014

[1] 答案

2.How much did the film grossed in its opening weekend all over the world?

A.$208m

B.$517m

C.$238m

D.$279m

[2] 答案

3.How much will Disney get in royalties from The Force Awakens alone by Macquarie Securities' prediction?

A.$5bn

B.$500m-$1bn

C.$40bn

D.$11bn

[3] 答案

4.What is the main driver of Disney's profits?

A.ESPN

B.film distribution

C.Disney Park

D.acquisition of marquee sports rights

[4] 答案