Is The Force Awakens destined to be the biggest movie ever?

LOS ANGELES — Riding galaxy-sized expectations, the new Star Wars movie is already setting records for pre-opening ticket sales, with still a month to go. But does that mean the movie is destined to be the biggest of all time?

Though several signs point in that direction, the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

The movie is on track to have the biggest December opening ever, topping The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which took in $85M in the US and Canada on its opening weekend in December 2012.

Ticket seller Fandango says advance ticket sales for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens has already topped every other movie, though it didn’t provide figures. Imax says it has sold $18M domestically, doubles the previous record. Imax receipts account for a third of pre-release sales for this movie, putting the domestic total at more than $50M.

 Whether it bests the biggest grosser of all time — Avatar, with $2.8B — depends on word of mouth and whether fans love it enough to watch it multiple times through the New Year.