Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker On Track For $200 Million Opening Weekend
Impressive. Most impressive.
As fans eagerly await a big-screen return to a galaxy far, far away, the early expected opening weekend figures are in for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Courtesy of Deadline, the final arc of the Skywalker Saga is currently tracking at a gross number in the region of $175 million - $205 million. As an opening weekend, that represents an extremely healthy number, yet that estimated amount is lower than both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi's opening weekends.
For J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens, the silver screen return for the Star Wars series opened to $250 million, while Rian Johnson’s much-maligned The Last Jedi took $220 million during its first weekend.
While franchise fatigue could well play a part in The Rise of Skywalker’s eventual box office total, not to mention the backlash that The Last Jedi received in some quarters, this next Star Wars offering also finds itself opening up directly opposite Jumanji: The Next Level in North American markets.
Some may have initially scoffed at a Jumanji picture offering genuine competition to a grand scale Star Wars effort, yet Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle managed to nab a cool $960 million at the global box office despite opening alongside The Last Jedi.
Directed once again by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens worldwide from December 19th.