Sam Mendes’ 1917 soared in its first weekend of wide release with $36.5 million from 3,434 theaters, surpassing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which has been the frontrunner in box office sales since its December debut. Skywalker has garnered $478 million domestically and $990 million globally, and is expected to cross the billion-dollar mark next week. Universal and DreamWorks’ 1917 has earned $39.22 million in North America since opening in limited release on Christmas Day and brought in $21.17 million internationally, amassing $60 million. The film beat The Irishman and Marriage Story for the best drama Golden Globe, and Mendes won best director. “Awards season buzz and box-office success often run on parallel tracks and in the case of ‘1917,’ Universal’s perfectly executed platform release strategy is paying box office dividends and post-Globes, pre-Oscar awards season momentum,” Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Variety.