The final episode of George Lucas' "Star Wars" saga grossed $271.2 million in the United States in its first 12 days, but failed to revive movie ticket sales.

"Revenge of the Sith" still have chances to approach the $431 million domestic gross of "Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace," said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, which released the "Star Wars" films.

The top 12 movies this weekend generated a total of $225 million in ticket sales, down from a record $239 million in 2004, Exhibitor Relations said. That's the 14th straight weekend this year that box-office receipts have lagged comparable revenues from 2004.

Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, blamed the declines on the availability of other forms of entertainment, such as DVDs.

"It takes a lot more to excite people today, and the crop of movies this year other than `Star Wars' and the movies that opened this weekend haven't inspired audiences to make that step and go to the theaters."

As with "Titanic," the modern box-office champ that brought young girls back to the theater to see it again and again, "Revenge of the Sith" is drawing strong repeat business among young males.

"We've got a lot of kids who already have this picture four and five times," Snyder said.

Memorial Day weekend is one of the most important of the year for the movie industry, setting the tone for the summer season to come. 

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