10 Reasons Star Wars: Rogue One Will Be 2016's Highest Grossing Movie
9. It's Being Released In December
In 1975, Steven Spielberg created the modern blockbuster template by releasing Jaws in the summertime to huge returns. For decades, studios believed the summer offered the most fertile ground to reap box office success from. Over the last few years, this paradigm has begun to shift; franchise tent-poles have become yearlong staples that can earn big. In 1997, James Cameron broke the mold when he proved that December can yield box office gold with the release of Titanic, which became the then highest grossing film of all time, and The Lord Of The Rings and Avatar showed this wasn't a one of success. Suddenly, the holidays became a sought after blockbuster slot. The Force Awakens imitated Titanic and Avatars holiday release template to record-breaking results. Emboldened by its wintertime hit, Disney have decided to maintain its hold on the holidays and will release Rogue One this December. The film will face no significant competition in the first week of its release, giving it ample opportunity to rack up a big opening weekend take. The video game adaptation Assassins Creed will hit theatres soon after, but as an unproven cinematic property its unlikely the film will steal much thunder away from Star Wars, leaving Rogue One free to dominate the holidays.
