Los Angeles (AFP) - "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" set a record for the highest-grossing opening weekend at the box office in the United States and Canada with $238 million in sales, ticket sales monitor Rentrak said Sunday.

The figure shatters the previous record, which was set by "Jurassic World" earlier this year when it premiered to $208.8 million.

Globally, the latest "Star Wars" space epic raked in $517 million, falling in second behind the "Jurassic" saga, which earned $524.9 million worldwide in its first weekend.

SEE ALSO: How World War II dogfights influenced 'Star Wars'

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The opening weekend box-office run by "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is nothing short of historic.

It goes without saying that the seventh episode in the "Star Wars" saga topped the weekend box office, but the question is was it enough to surpass "Jurassic World" as the biggest opening weekend of all time?

The answer is yes. "Force Awakens" surpassed the record of $208.4 million set by "World" over the summer with an astounding estimated $238 million in North America, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Industry insiders believe the number could be closer to $240 million. Final weekend totals come out on Monday.

Previous to this, the film had already broke the Thursday-preview record with $57 million, and the biggest single-day box-office record on Friday with $120 million.

To put the huge weekend by "Awakens" in perspective, it made more than the opening weekends of "The Hobbit" trilogy (the big December release of the last three years) combined.

Needless to say, the $4 billion purchase by Disney of Lucasfilm is looking to be money well spent.

Meanwhile the battle for second place came down to the other new releases, and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip" took the spot with $14.4 million, while "Sister" came in third with $13.4 million.

Internationally, "The Force Awakens" made $279 million, that's the third-highest opening of all time behind "Jurassic World" ($316 million) and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2" ($314 million).

SEE ALSO: I saw "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and I have one big complaint about the movie

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NOW WATCH: Adam Savage from 'MythBusters' has an incredible connection to the 'Star Wars' franchise

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Warning: If you haven't seen "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," there are some mild spoilers ahead.

Many are heading out to see "Star Wars" to see Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill reunite on the big screen; however, another reason to see the movie may be for the celebrity cameos hidden in the new film. We're talking about ones you never would notice upon multiple viewings of the movie.

It turns out a few famous faces are underneath some of those Stormtrooper helmets.

Keep reading to see who has a hidden role in "The Force Awakens." 

Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness' voices as Obi-Wan Kenobi can be heard in the film.

According to an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ewan McGregor came in to do a quick voice over one day. Abrams then combined it with a portion of Alec Guinness' voice from the original trilogy.

You can hear their voices calling out to Rey during her flashback/flashforward moment in the line, "Rey, these are your first steps."

It's Guinness saying Rey.

Frank Oz returns as the voice of Yoda briefly.

In the same sequence, you can briefly hear Yoda's voice, too. Abrams tells EW the legendary puppeteer came in bring the character back to life.

“He was incredibly generous and came in to Bad Robot, where we had a recording area, and he was doing Yoda, saying a number of lines we gave to him," says Abrams.

Bill Hader was a voice consultant on droid BB-8.

"J.J. [Abrams was] f-----g around with this sound effects app on his iPad that was attached to a talk box operated by me,"Hader told Hitfix. "It looked ridiculous but it made BB-8's voice. At first I tried doing a voice, but we all agreed it sounded too human."

Actor Ben Schwartz is also credited as a voice consultant on the droid.

We all knew legendary actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford would be paid a bit more than newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but now we know by just how much.

According to the Mail on Sunday, Ford has reportedly been paid £16.7 million for reprising the role of Han Solo and will also get 0.5 per cent of the film’s gross earnings, estimated to be £1.3 billion. 

He’s also already been handed £1 million in compensation after breaking his leg during shooting at Pinewood studios.

That means, in total, the Indiana Jones actor could earn £23 million, 76 times what British newcomer Daisy Ridley and John Boyega will take from the film. 

Both leading stars will receive a pay check of £300,000 while also taking a cut of the box-office earnings once it inevitably makes over $1 billion (£671 million). 

A Disney source told the Sunday paper: “Harrison is the key to making this movie work. He’s the link between the old generation and the new. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were good to get, but the film could have lived without them. You couldn’t make it without Harrison Ford.”

Of course, it should also be noted that for the original 1977 Star Wars film, Ford was only paid £7,000 as he was a relatively unknown at the time. 

“Daisy’s a virtual unknown, and this is a career-making role, so she’d probably have been willing to take it for free – and Disney knew it,” the insider continued.

“She has been signed to a multi-picture deal with pre-set bumps in her salary that rise substantially with each movie. That doesn’t guarantee she’ll be in subsequent films, but it gives the studio peace of mind to know she’s contractually obliged if they want her again.”

It was also revealed that director JJ Abrams was paid £3.3 million to direct the film and will take a two per cent share of the film’s gross, while Carrie Fisher – reprising her role as General Leia – was paid £1 million. 

The actress has previously signed away her likeness to the character, meaning she will make no money on merchandise. 

In other Star Wars news, some fans went crazy when – in a midnight screening of the film – the projector messed up and spoilt the film’s major twist. 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in cinemas now.

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NOW WATCH: A weather reporter honored 'The Force Awakens' by jamming her forecast with 'Star Wars' puns

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" hit theaters on Friday, and a group of analysts from the hedge fund Citadel sat down to discuss the Disney-owned movie franchise.

Among other things, analysts Stephen Parlett, Evan Ericson, Joe Pasqualichio, and Steven Rosenberg discussed which extraterrestrial character would fare best on Wall Street.

So which is it?

"Yoda. I think he would have made a great investor," Pasqualichio said. "He's wise, patient, and has an extremely long-term outlook, so I think he'd be able to find significant alpha."

And their least favorite characters?

"Let's just say Jar Jar Binks was not the greatest 'Star Wars' character of all time," Ericson said.

Citadel, founded and led by Ken Griffin, has $25 billion in assets under management. The firm held a stake in Disney until the third quarter.

Read the full Q&A transcript here.

And here's a clip of the Q&A session:

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"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" debuted on Friday and shattered box-office records.

Citadel's Stephen Parlett, Evan Ericson, Joe Pasqualichio, and Steven Rosenberg laid out their thoughts on the film — and on predicting financial success in movies — in a Q&A session.

Citadel, founded and led by Ken Griffin, has $25 billion in assets under management.

"Our models are built to be extremely dynamic and flexible," Parlett said when asked how Citadel calculated the likelihood of a movie's success and how the firm could change its models when needed.

"In the entertainment industry something can be a hit or a flop; the numbers can change rapidly, and our flexibility enables us to react incredibly fast" he said.

Rosenberg said Citadel spends a lot of time conducting research to better understand consumer trends. He said:

We perform a lot of proprietary research and data analysis. For example, we survey thousands of gamers every year to understand consumer trends, test hypotheses and gauge purchase intent for upcoming titles into the holiday season.

Unsurprisingly, this year's video game survey showed strong purchase intent for Star Wars: Battlefront. But if you dig a little deeper into the numbers, you start to discover some interesting trends about how and where consumers plan to make their purchases. All that will have an impact on the game publisher's gross margins.

Parlett added that "not all revenues are created equal," meaning Citadel needs to understand "the underlying costs or revenue sharing that are associated with a content company's revenues."

Pasqualichio said:

It's important to remember that the total revenue generated from a film will include more than just the theatrical release, as Stephen mentioned. Films use the ultimate method of accounting which includes revenue streams beyond the initial theatrical release.

When a film is created, there is a major fixed cost associated with its production. That production cost will be amortized over the life of the film based on how much it generates at the box office, in the premium TV window, in the basic TV window, and how much it generated from consumer products and other ancillary revenues.

Read the full Q&A transcript here.

Here's part of that conversation:

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"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opened last week and looks set to dominate the box office this month.

The film is the seventh in the "Star Wars" series, and it represents part of a growing trend in Hollywood for blockbuster franchise movies.

Citadel's Stephen Parlett, Evan Ericson, Joe Pasqualichio, and Steven Rosenberg laid out their thoughts on the movie business in a recent Q&A session.

Citadel, the hedge fund founded and led by Ken Griffin, has $25 billion in assets under management.

Pasqualichio was asked what impact flops had on movie studios. His answer reveals a great deal about why movie studios are going down the franchise route.

In short, they want to minimize their risk, appeal to an international audience, and bolster the potential for additional revenues through games and merchandise. That sounds like a no-brainer, and it probably won't come as a surprise to regular filmgoers.

Still, his explanation is a simple distillation of what is going on in Hollywood right now. He said:

There's a saying in Hollywood that "nobody knows nothing." So it's really hard to predict what's going to resonate with the public and what's not. I think a studio would probably be happy batting .500 on hits and misses, but it's really important to get the big bets right. So you had John Carter, a film with an approximate production budget of $250 million that ultimately lost around $200 million. Lone Ranger was another big miss.

Box office flops are going to come up from time to time, but your big bets, and especially the ones with IP backing them, should be enough to cover them. And that's why you're seeing studios move towards IP and franchise films like the Harry Potter series, where you had eight films that generated $7.7 billion over the full run. Those big hits will be able to absorb the losses from the John Carter s. Today, more than ever we're seeing this blockbuster strategy at studios where they rely on really big, tent-pole films – like the Star Wars movies – to generate sufficient profits that cover all of the misses and make the overall slate profitable.

And here he is on the globalization of the movie business:

Above all, this industry is going to continue to get more global. The focus is going to become more on what does the Chinese consumer want, what does the Latin American consumer want? A truly global blockbuster requires very high production value, very recognizable IP, and a plot that appeals to the entire globe.

Read the full Q&A transcript here.

Here is the video:

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The U.S. Air Force Central Command has recently published an inspiring post on Social Media asking followers to think what would be the modern Air Force equivalents of some of the most famous Star Wars ships.

According to USAFCENT:

• X-Wing: F-15E Strike Eagle (Dual-role air-to-air and air-to-ground)
• T-47: A-10 Thunderbolt II (Likes to fly low to the ground; built around guns)
• B-Wing: B-1 Lancer (Large swing-wing with heavy fire power)
• Millennium Falcon: AC-130H (Cargo carrier with firepower)

Generally speaking we agree but the AC-130H (that was retired): the AC-130U is a type in active service, hence more suitable (even though it does not carry cargo, despite it is based on a transport plane).

Someone may object the X-Wing could be the F-22, US’s most advanced multi-role plane; however, the Raptor is stealth and can evade radars, something the Rebels iconic spacecraft is unable to do. Moreover, as suggested by some Star Wars fans (including my son..) there are scenes in which the X-Wing vehicles fly in formation in a Top Gun-fashion loosely reminding the U.S. Navy F-14 “Bombcats.”

And what about the TIE fighter? Considered it represents the enemy side, we shall pick a Russian plane. The multirole, supermaneuverable Su-30SM seems to be the most appropriate.

SEE ALSO: How the Thompson gun went from a 'gangster weapon' to a WWII favorite

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The long wait is finally over, and it looks like it was worth it.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" set a new worldwide box-office opening record with $528 million. It's also winning over fans: IMDb users have given the film a rating of 8.9 out of 10.

So, it has to be good, right — as in better than the prequels and just as good as the original films?

Warning: spoilers for the film below.

Well ... first let's look at the story. Set 30 years after the events of the sixth episode, "Return of the Jedi" (1983), "Force Awakens" has Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) gone missing. He's being searched for by the Resistance, a military force supported by the Republic, and the First Order, a successor to the evil Galactic Empire. In an attempt to find him, Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) finds a part to a map to Skywalker's whereabouts, but is captured by the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).

This sets off a chain of events that includes Finn (John Boyega), a rouge stormtrooper, and desert scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) meeting up with the original-trilogy characters. The newcomers discover what they're made of as they try to stop the First Order's planet-destroying Starkiller Base — a planet turned into a machine — and find Skywalker.

Less backstory, much more exciting plot

The film only gives us glimpses into the backstories and motives of the new characters. This is somewhat jarring compared to how "The Phantom Menace" (1999) and "A New Hope" (1977) played out. Still, I definitely want to know more about these people and what will happen to them in Episodes VIII and IX. This is in contrast to the prequel trilogy because, for the most part, moviegoers knew what was going to happen: The Jedi will fall, the Republic will become the Empire, and Anakin Skywalker will become Darth Vader.

Acting that had genuine laughs

And speaking of characters, the acting was much better than in the prequels, which often came across as wooden. No one was stiff this time and the dialogue was more natural. Boyega played off Isaac and Harrison Ford — who was back as Han Solo — well, and this led to a few laughs. Rey's story arc is arguably the most compelling, and she's poised to become the future star of the series.

Much better use of practical effects

So what about the special effects? Well, it was so refreshing to see a wide use of real sets and locations, practical effects, and costumes. Granted, the prequels also had these, but Episodes I to III had way too much CG. "Force Awakens" had a good balance of everything. For example, the clone troopers in "Revenge of the Sith" (2005) were CG and it painfully showed, but in "Force Awakens," the Stormtroopers were real people in real costumes. And it showed. They looked better.

For the record, I don't hate the prequels. They might not have been as enjoyable as the original trilogy, but I did appreciate how they explained the backstory that would lead to it. Yes, galactic politics isn't for everyone, but even I knew back in 1999 that such things were going to play an important role because they had to. I'm still invested in the prequels' stories, but I've come to terms with the quality of those films.

The biggest weakness in 'The Force Awakens'

Overall, people should be relieved since "Force Awakens" lives up to the hype in ways the prequels just couldn't. Even so, the most disappointing aspects of the new film for me were the moments clearly derivative of the original trilogy. Starkiller Base (more or less the Death Star of Episodes IV and VI) and the attempt to destroy the base (Episode VI) probably stood out the most in this regard. Why couldn't the filmmakers find more original elements?

Well, franchise creator George Lucas was a consultant early on and wrote treatments for the sequel trilogy. After some back and forth, it was decided that Luke, Han, and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) would get top billing, with the younger stars taking over in the next two episodes. In fact, director J.J. Abrams was quoted as saying that he wanted to focus on those three characters "so audiences could have one more chance to enjoy them before a fitting send-off."

But I hope the new characters will inspire stories that live up to the grandeur and fun on the original trilogy without rehashing plot threads. If "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is any indication, then the Force is strong with them and the new trilogy.

SEE ALSO: The new 'Star Wars' movie took a big piece of inspiration from the expanded universe

DON'T MISS: 2 millennials watched the original ‘Star Wars’ for the first time

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NOW WATCH: Everything that happened in the first six ‘Star Wars’ movies in 4 minutes

A church in Berlin, Germany, took advantage of the hysteria surrounding the release of the latest "Star Wars" film to get more people to come to church.

During the weekend in which "The Force Awakens" had a record-breaking opening at the box office, the Zionskirche invited members and visitors to dress up as their favorite "Star Wars" character. Yes, even those from the dark side.

An organist played the "Star Wars" theme music, and the clergy used lightsabers to compare the message in "Star Wars" to the message of the Bible, comparing the biblical struggle between good and evil to the struggle between light and dark in "Star Wars." 

Kathrin Breustedt, who attended the service, elaborated that "It is simply about laying down weapons and choosing the peaceful way. So it fits together nicely."

"People know 'Star Wars,' but unfortunately they do not know the Bible so well anymore, but if you combine the Bible with 'Star Wars' then you get people coming to church again," said Lucas Ludewig, one of the clergy who conducted the service.

Story and editing by Andrew Fowler

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Daisy Ridley, 23, went from being relatively unknown to the name everybody was talking about when casting for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was announced in 2014.

Rey, who emerges from "Force Awakens" as the star of the new series of films, plays a scavenger in a ship graveyard who gets involved in a mission with the original-trilogy characters.

Prior to joining the film's cast, Ridley's credits consisted of a couple of guest appearances on television shows and shorts.

With "The Force Awakens" set for two more sequels, Ridley won't be leaving the "Star Wars" world anytime soon, and her list of projects is sure to grow.

Here's your introduction to this future franchise star.

SEE ALSO: Watch stars from 'The Force Awakens' react to the newest trailer

Born and raised in Westminster, London, Daisy Ridley is the youngest of five sisters. Her father is a photographer and her mother works in internal communications at a bank.

(SOURCE)

She's not the only one in her family with performing in her blood. Her great-uncle is Arnold Ridley, an actor well-known for his role in "Dad's Army," a popular British sitcom that ran from 1968 to 1977.

(SOURCE)

Ridley studied at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, where she specialized in musical theater, and graduated in 2010 when she was 18.

(SOURCE)

John Boyega broke out as Finn, a Stormtrooper who abandons the dark side, in "The Force Awakens." Thanks to the film's huge opening weekend, Boyega is on his way to becoming one of the biggest stars in the world.

Despite this, the self-proclaimed "Star Wars" fan decided to surprise fans who went out to see "The Force Awakens" during the film's opening weekend. 

He stopped by showings in New York and London, shocking fans and earning rapturous applause.

Boyega posted all of the videos on his Instagram.

"The Force Awakens" is now playing in theaters.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Kristen Griffin

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SEE ALSO:  Droids stole the show at the 'Star Wars' world premiere

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StarTalk Radio host Neil deGrasse Tyson took to Twitter on Monday, December 21, to deliver his first impressions of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

The new droid in the movie, BB-8, has stolen everyone's hearts, but Tyson pointed out that the robotic ball would have had some trouble keeping up with the other characters:

We're assuming that Tyson is talking about this part:

Before getting into Tyson's criticisms, it's worth noting that the rolling robot really does work.

The filmmakers revealed a working prototype of the droid before the film was released. They created a robot version of the droid for the movie, and there's even an app-controlled toy robot that seems pretty fun.

There's actually a whole website dedicated to explaining how it works.

That said, BB-8 is pretty poorly designed, according to NASA roboticist Brett Kennedy.

"Looking at the BB-8 droid, I would have to say the physics, it doesn't follow particularly well," Kennedy said in a video for Wired. "Trying to roll up and over anything is extremely difficult."

The problem, Kennedy said, is that with only one wheel like BB-8 has, you'd easily get stuck.

Depending on what kind of material the robot's main sphere is made of, Kennedy also noted that it would likely have trouble getting any traction over surfaces like sand.

The droid could function fine on flat, uniform surfaces, though. Kennedy compared it to kicking a soccer ball. But in "Star Wars," the characters don't stick to uniform, flat surfaces.

"How many places do you think that you've got enough flat ground that you can actually roll a soccer ball?" Kennedy asked.

It's no secret that Tyson loves "Star Trek" way more than "Star Wars," so we were expecting him to be pretty hard on the movie.

But even though he went after BB-8's plausibility as an all-environment droid, even Tyson can't deny that the droid is adorable:

SEE ALSO: People are saying that 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is amazing

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NOW WATCH: A 'Star Wars' star snuck into showings of 'The Force Awakens,' and fans flipped out

Just like everyone else I saw the new Star Wars movie over its opening weekend.

And just like everyone else, I thought it was pretty good!

However.

I have one small complaint. 

Before I get to it, I guess I should do one of those standard warnings about spoilers. I don't think I am going to have a ton of spoilers, but I might. So, if you haven't seen the movie, maybe stop reading.

Anyway, here's my complaint: The movie was all action scenes, and very little story, very little character development. 

The constant action scenes made the movie fast and fun, so it's kind of stupid to complain about it.

While I barely remember the George Lucas prequels, my sense is that movies were a disaster because they tried to be all about story and character development. So, if this movie had more character development and story, I probably would have hated it.

But, still. 

There's a lot going on in this movie! 

The First Order has arisen. Han and Leia split up. Luke disappeared. Han and Leia have a kid who has turned evil. There's a giant mysterious person who oversees all of the evil in the world. There's a new Death Star.

Then, there's Rey and Finn. Presumably we're going to learn a lot more about them in the films to come. 

And, I suppose that's the point. We're going to have many many more movies to explore these characters and the overall story. 

I hope so. Because, one thing that has changed in the entertainment industry is that TV shows are now much more rich in character and drama. TV shows feel like films nowadays, but stretched out to 4X as long. Star Wars flew by and I felt like I could have spent more time getting to know the characters and what's going on. 

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NOW WATCH: Jennifer Lawrence does something other actors won't, and it's why she keeps improving

"The Force Awakens" turned out to be as big as everyone thought it would be — and possibly even bigger.

The latest entry in the "Star Wars" movies toppled previous box-office records for domestic and global grosses, taking in $247.97 million domestically over the weekend and $529 million worldwide, according to the final official numbers.

"It's bigger than big. It’s bigger than we thought it would be... And China has yet to open," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a release Monday. "So that's an incredible weekend. And I must say it's higher than we said yesterday."

The previous all-time best US opening was "Jurassic World" with $208.8 million (not adjusting for inflation), which was also the previous worldwide best at $524 million. "Force Awakens" was No. 1 in every country where it played except South Korea and Vietnam.

"Force Awakens" also had the biggest Friday of all time, with $120.5 million. You can see the rest of the records broken by the movie at Box Office Mojo.

The domination of "Force Awakens" is a huge win for Disney, which bought Lucasfilm and the "Star Wars" franchise from George Lucas for $4 billion.

Two other films competed against "Force Awakens.""Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip" came in second domestically with $14.4 million, the lowest opening of any title in the franchise. The new Tina Fey and Amy Poehler comedy "Sisters" got third place with $13.4 million.

You can expect all those movies to significantly increase their hauls over the coming holidays.

*Post updated to include the final official box-office numbers.

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The Fed’s hubris has led it to the Dark Side.

It’s not just a movie, it’s real life: the Fed-Farce awakens. Now that the Federal Reserve has finally voted to “restore order to the galaxy” with a tiny .25% rate increase, the true measure of our travesty of a mockery of a sham economy–in a phrase, The Fed-Farce–has been revealed.

Here’s a snapshot of the Fed meeting, “restoring order to the galaxy” in a show of unanimous galactic-scale hubris:

If we had to list the fatal wounds inflicted on the economy by the Fed-Farce’s financial repression, we might start with: the Fed’s flood of cheap credit has not boosted productivity, it’s only boosted speculation. Why is this fatal?

Productivity is the engine of wealth creation. Speculation is the engine of wealth inequality and devastating boom/bust cycles. This is self-evident, but unfortunately the Dark Side can also conjure mind-tricks in the weak-minded (for example, Congress, the mainstream media, etc.): the Fed has successfully conned the weak-minded into believing that speculative frenzies of mal-investment and Fed-fueled asset bubbles are the sources of healthy growth.

A funny thing happens when you give unlimited borrowing power at near-zero interest rates to financiers and corporations: they use the free money not to hire more people (that would be incredibly dumb–employees cost money!) but tobuy up shares in their own companies and snap up income-producing assets such as rental apartment complexes.

$1 trillion in stock buybacks creates zero jobs. Borrowing $1 trillion to buy back shares (and thus boost the personal wealth of managers and owners) does not create a single job. Repurchasing the company’s stock reduces the number of shares outstanding, which increases your earnings per share without increasing sales or net profits.

In other words, stock buybacks are just another Dark Side mind-trick.

Buying 1,000 units of rental housing and raising the rents 10 seconds after the sale closes also doesn’t create a single permanent job. The sale generated a commission, but this is a one-off. It doesn’t take even one more person to maintain the buildings after the sale or the rent increase.

As for the rent increase–it’s just cheap digital processing and the cost of postage.

The supposed connection between cheap Fed credit and job creation is illusory–it’s nothing but a Dark Side mind-trick played on the credulous and weak-minded.

Courtesy of Zero Hedge and Societe Generale, here is a chart of U.S. corporate debt and stock buybacks. Any questions?

Notice anything that looks like a speculative frenzy that subsequently triggers a collapse?

By slashing rates to zero, the Fed ruthlessly eliminating safe returns for savers, pension funds, insurers and the millions of people with 401K retirement nesteggs. In effect, the Fed-Farce has pushed everyone into risk assets–and then played another Dark Side mind-trick by masking the true dangers of these risky assets.

As oil-sector debt blows up, as junk bonds blow up, and emerging markets blow up, we are finally starting to see the real costs of going over to the Dark Side of endless credit expansion and throwing the gasoline of near-zero interest rates on the speculative fires of financialization.

The Fed’s hubris has led it to the Dark Side, and now its Death Star of impaired debt, phantom collateral, speculative frenzy and bogus mind-tricks is about to blow up.

SEE ALSO: STRATEGIST: 'The Fed is flying this plane and ... the people at the controls don't know how to fly'

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Astrophysicist and host of "StarTalk Radio” Neil deGrasse Tyson has finally seen the new “Star Wars” movie.

What does he think?

The "Star Trek" fan is live tweeting his thoughts on "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" right now.

Warning: If you haven't seen "The Force Awakens," there are some mild spoilers ahead!

His first tweet is about politics.

Hot take: BB-8 > R2-D2. Whoa.

The astromech droid is pretty freaking adorable.

Sorry R2.

While deGrasse Tyson loves BB-8, he's quick to point out the droid probably would have had a tougher time moving around in the sand.

Now, we're getting a little nitpicky.

DeGrasse Tyson points out the ultimate flaw with the First Order's new planet-vaporizing Death Star:

We're sad we don't speak Wookiee either.

He's talking about Rey, here.

DeGrasse Tyson is not impressed with the new Stormtroopers.

Yep.

"Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" (1980):

vs. "The Force Awakens":

Don't mention Millennium Falcon's speed deGrasse Tyson.

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NOW WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the problem with the Death Star

Warning: There are huge spoilers ahead if you haven't seen "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Do not keep reading if you haven't seen the film.

The biggest reveal in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is the identity of Kylo Ren. 

Last chance to head back before spoilers!

Towards the end of the movie, we learn Kylo Ren is actually the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. 

If you're a big "Star Wars" fan, you probably weren't TOO surprised.

After all, Han and Leia have a few kids in the expanded universe (EU) — two boys and one girl.

However, the big twist, which probably threw fans off, was the reveal of Kylo Ren's actual name — Ben. The names of Han and Leia's kids in the EU are twins Jacen and Jaina and Anakin, named after Leia's dad. 

It's actually Luke who ends up with a son named Ben Skywalker, which honestly makes more sense because Ben/Obi-Wan Kenobi has more of an influence on Luke in the originally trilogy from a viewer's perspective.

Though Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012 rendered the "Star Wars" EU no longer canon, it looks like "The Force Awakens" is using some inspiration from one of Jacen Skywalker's most popular storylines.

Jacen appears in several series in the EU, but it's in the "Legacy of the Force" where he turns to the dark side and takes on the identity of Darth Caedus. 

In that series, Jacen is close with his cousin, Ben Skywalker. However, he's told in order to truly become a Sith lord he most kill someone close to him. Jacen ultimately ends up killing Ben's mother and Luke Skywalker's wife, Mara Jade.

Ben then vows to avenge his fallen mother.

There's much more to the nine book series, but those basic details look like they may have served as inspiration for "The Force Awakens."

Kylo may be a version of Jacen while Rey could very well be a genderswapped adaptation of Luke's son, Ben.

Of course, we have no clear idea who Rey is yet, but it seems very likely she could end up being Luke's daughter. Either way, it appears the new franchise could be leading to an exciting showdown between Rey and Kylo in later films.

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"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" broke multiple box-office records opening weekend. The film now holds the record for highest-grossing opening weekend with $247 million. "The Force Awakens" also debuted to a record $528 million worldwide.

Both numbers shattered records "Jurassic World" set earlier this year when it premiered in June with an unexpected $208.8 million domestic opening. It beat out Disney and Marvel's "The Avengers" which held the record since 2012.

Universal doesn't seem too upset, though.

"Jurassic World" producer Frank Marshall tweeted out the following image congratulating the cast and crew of "Star Wars" for besting the dinos at the box office. The image shows the "Jurassic World" T. rex presenting "Star Wars" droid BB-8 with a medallion.

Previously, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige sent the following congratulations to Universal when "Jurassic World" topped the previously box-office record held by "The Avengers" since 2012.

The image shows Chris Pratt, who starred in both "Jurassic World" and Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy," atop a T. rex holding Thor's mighty hammer.

Both images are a continuation of a long-standing tradition between "Star Wars" creator George Lucas and "Jurassic Park" director Steven Spielberg. The two used to take out ads to congratulate each other whenever their films surpassed each other's at the box office.

Spielberg sent out the following image after 1977's "Star Wars" beat out "Jaws" at the box office.

When Spielberg's 1982 film "E.T."became the highest-grossing movie of the year, Lucas took out the following ad in Variety.

Then when Lucas released refurbished versions of his original "Star Wars" trilogy in the '90s, Spielberg once again took out in ad in Variety after the re-release beat out "E.T." at the box office.

Here's the Variety back cover from February 1997.

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