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Solo: A Star Wars Story busts US box office record on first night

Solo nets $14 million in less than 12 parsecs.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
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Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Jonathan Olley

Disney is actually happy about one of its movies giving up a box-office record. Solo: A Star Wars Story just beat out the 2007 performance of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Solo's $14.1 million haul for Thursday evening previews topped Pirates' $13.2 million record for a Memorial Day weekend opening in the US.  

Don't send your box-office expectations for Solo into hyperdrive just yet, however. 

"While preview grosses are typically not a great barometer of weekend play, the responses from audiences have been enthusiastic setting us up for a great run through the holiday weekend," a Disney spokesman said in a Friday morning box office update.

Solo will pit the sci-fi genre against the superhero genre as it battles with last weekend's champ, Deadpool 2. We'll know later in the weekend if Solo looks like it will prevail. 

Solo: A Star Wars Story toys now on sale, peek at new movie

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