Star Wars: The Forces Awakes makes $1billion in a record 12 days

We have a new winner in the box office, with Star Wars: The Force Awakens becoming the fastest film in history to make $1billion globally.

The JJ Abrams flick hit the top spot in just 12 days, beating the previous record of 13 days by Jurassic World in June.

And it also scored the biggest US Christmas Day box office takings in history with $49.3million.

The highly anticipated seventh instalment in the blockbuster saga has received mostly glowing reviews, and has been credited with breathing new life into the juggernaut Hollywood franchise launched by creator George Lucas in 1977.

And Disney said Australia was a stand-out in the Asia-Pacific region, with The Force Awakens earning an estimated $35.7 million to date, making it the second best Disney release of all time in the country, just behind The Avengers.