Tesla Model 3 opening weekend was bigger than Star Wars

The Tesla Model 3 was a massive blockbuster megahit this weekend. Inc. Magazine reported that, "over the weekend, 276,000 people plunked down $1,000 to reserve one. CEO Elon Musk mentioned that the average selling price is $42,000 (with a base price of $35,000), which means the total haul will be around $12B. In terms of actual incoming cash flow, that's $276M for a car that few of us have actually driven. That's also bigger than the Star Wars: The Force Awakens opening weekend at $246M."

The article continues, "this was as big or bigger than any movie opening. People lined up around the block. They didn't just hand over $10-$15 to see a movie, they handed over $1,000 for a pre-order. The car doesn't even come out until later in 2017, so it's more like 18 months than a year. You can't even test drive it." That said, we were lucky enough to get a test drive at the launch party and we'll openly admit -- driving any Tesla can certainly make you feel like you're in the famed sci-fi movie as seen below...

Youtube: Benedetta Machado

Coincidentally, this weekend, Tesla Motors [NASDAQ: TSLA] CEO Elon Musk tweeted, "Wait until you see the real steering controls and system for the 3. It feels like a spaceship." After all, Elon Musk, is also CEO of SpaceX, and has even stated before that his SpaceX Falcon rockets are named after the Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars films; Musk says, "Obviously, I'm a huge fan of Star Wars."

Well Elon, childhood dreams do come true -- you've just had a bigger opening weekend "box office" for the Tesla Model 3 than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. So, even though you tweeted, "Definitely going to need to rethink production planning..." -- don't worry, the force is with you.