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'Star Wars' first movie to cross $800 million domestically

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' topped US box office charts for the fourth straight weekend, narrowly beating 'The Revenant' and making it the first movie to cross $800 million domestically. 

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David James/Disney/Lucasfi­lm via AP
This photo provided by Disney/Lucasfilm shows Daisy Ridley, right, as Rey, and John Boyega as Finn, in a scene from the film, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," directed by J.J. Abrams. The movie topped US box office charts for the fourth straight weekend, narrowly beating 'The Revenant' and bringing its total domestic haul to $812 million.
  • By Brent Lang Reuters

| LOS ANGELES

The force was strong with Leonardo DiCaprio, but not quite strong enough to dethrone "Star Wars" from its perch atop box office charts.

"The Force Awakens" was in a pitched battle with "The Revenant" for first place, but managed to retain its crown for the fourth straight weekend, picking up $41.6 million in receipts. That brings the space opera sequel's stateside haul to $812 million, making it the first film to ever cross $800 million domestically.

"The Revenant" still had much to celebrate. The revenge drama about a fur trapper whose quest for vengeance finds him braving roaring rapids, dodging hostile Native American tribes, and disemboweling a dead horse, became an unlikely box office winner. The film, which is expected to land DiCaprio in the Oscar race, pulled in a sterling $38 million in its wide release debut.

Directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu, Fox bowed the bloody thriller across 3,375 locations. The hugely complicated shoot was a production nightmare, with the film's budget ballooning from $90 million to $135 million and the cast and crew being forced to decamp from Canada to Argentina in search of snow.

Despite the challenges, the film exceeded projections, which had it opening to around $20 million. Combined with its grosses from the two weeks it spent in limited release, "The Revenant" has now made $39.5 million.

Paramount's "Daddy's Home," a comedy about a step-father (Will Ferrell) locked in a fierce battle with his wife's first husband (Mark Wahlberg) for her kid's affections, took third place with $ million. It has made since debuting over Christmas.

Focus Features opened thriller "The Forest," starring Natalie Dormer and Taylor Kinney, in 2,451 locations, where it grossed $13.1 million for a fourth place finish. The film centers on a young American woman who travels to Japan to find her sister.

Universal's "Sisters" rounded out the top five, earning $7.2 million. The Amy Poehler and Tina Fey comedy about a pair of siblings suffering from arrested development has racked up $73.9 million.

Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" dropped a steep 60% from its wide release bow despite adding 464 theaters. The revisionist Western picked up $6.4 million, bringing its total to $41.5 million.

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