Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith broke the all-time single day box office record by earning an astounding $50,013,859 at the box office on Thursday.  Buoyed by a round of midnight shows that earned $16.5 million (Attack of the Clones did only $6.1 million during its midnight run), Episode III swept past previous record holders Shrek 2 ($44.8 million) and Spider-Man ($43.6 million), owners of the two previous top single day grosses (both of which came on Saturdays-- the top previous weekday gross was put up by Spider-Man 2, which did $40.4 million on its opening Wednesday).

With far better reviews (82% positive on the Rotten Tomatoes Website) than the two previous modern Star Wars films and a lack of any big time competition in the theaters, Episode III appears poised to rewrite the record books.  The Matrix Reloaded's record four-day total of $134.3 million appears doomed and Spider-Man's three-day weekend record of $114.84 million could be in real danger.  Check in with ICv2 on Monday for a full analysis of Episode III's inaugural weekend performance.