USA Today provides some analysis of the weekend's numbers and much more:

"There has always been a group that hasn't liked my films, so I don't worry about it," says Lucas, speaking from his Skywalker Ranch in Northern California, about 30 miles north of San Francisco. "In the end, we'll be all right. I think we'll be in the top 20 of all time. But that's irrelevant. All I can do is make the movie I want to make."

The movie he wants to make seems to suit audiences just fine. Even those long-term fans who dare to call Lucas' dialogue stiff or his romances hokey say moviemaking is beside the point.

"Why do critics even bother reviewing it?" says fan Mary Ann Bogumill, 46, of Mesa, Ariz. "It's not a movie; it's a cultural event. We watch because we grew up with the characters. Fans don't care if it's any good or not."

Reviews are running about even on Clones, but some of the most powerful critics dislike it. Roger Ebert says the film lacks "one line of quotable, memorable dialogue." The New York Times warns, "Don't believe the hype."

Try telling that to Sara Stoner, 38, of Columbus, Ohio.

Sure, she says, Clones' special effects "were an assault on the senses," and the film "lacks the magic of the original trilogy."

But she's quick to add, "Of course I'll go see it again. What can I say? I'm a self-professed Star Wars nerd, God help me."

Therein lies the true force of Star Wars, says fan Andy Miller, 37, of Chicago. "George could make a movie about Obi-Wan mowing his lawn and we'd watch. We just want to see the characters we love. I waited all year for this movie. I'm not interested in Spider-Man."

Neither is Lucas. He seems tired of the media blitz that greeted his film and the showdown established with the web slinger.

"I am not a horse," he says. "I do not do horse races. I'm not interested in opening weekends. I'm not interested in setting records. I know that sounds silly, because we've broken so many records and done all that stuff. I'm interested in making movies and telling stories and giving audiences the best possible presentation."