I can't think of another public icon, paparazzi target, AND acclaimed actor of Heath's stature dying in their prime in my lifetime.

Next, tag on that his final film is an insanely popular franchise, and it's the biggest actor death in the lives of most of the youthful target audience, mind you.

Those who are less cynical certainly have no hard evidence that the death helped the film. But that's because there's NEVER been something like this. A franchise this popular mixed with a tragically dead young popular celeb at the height of his career?

That's what legends are made of. That's how phenomenons are born.

I'm just throwing that out there. While the hype was always huge, the death made it go nuclear. And while it may not be empirically proven on any stat sheet, the unprecedented nature of this film's circumstances very well seem to be indicated in the unprecedented amount of money it's making.