Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker box office projections fall a bit more following the mixed reviews. Even before word-of-mouth started to spread, the film was poised to have the lowest opening weekend of the sequel trilogy, with predictions indicating a debut in the range of $175-210 million. At the time, the hope was those were just conservative estimates that would steadily increase after The Rise of Skywalker started screening and the reactions hit. After all, a number of 2019 blockbusters exceeded commercial expectations, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if a Star Wars movie did the same.
Unfortunately, the Rise of Skywalker responses were not what Disney was looking for. Critics are very divided on the film’s merits, with many saying it’s a messy, overstuffed conclusion to the nine-film Skywalker saga. While some believe the movie’s still entertaining despite its flaws, there are those who rank it as one of the worst in the entire franchise. As a result of that, the film’s box office prospects are taking a hit.
According to Box Office Pro, The Rise of Skywalker is now projected to earn approximately $160-190 million domestically in its first three days. That is a considerable drop from The Force Awakens’ then record-breaking $247.9 million and The Last Jedi’s $220 million. Shockingly, the lower end of Rise of Skywalker predictions are only slightly above Rogue One’s $155 million.
Even though many films would love to have an opening of as much as $190 million, there really isn’t positive spin for this. These numbers are disappointing, and they illustrate Star Wars has fallen down the franchise hierarchy in today’s day and age. In 2015, The Force Awakens earned $936.6 million domestically, while Avengers: Age of Ultron made a robust $459 million. Fast forward to 2019, Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all-time globally and posted $858.3 million in the U.S. The Rise of Skywalker is on pace to be the lowest-grossing entry of the sequel trilogy. That’s a rather anticlimactic development for a movie billed as the definitive end of the saga (essentially Endgame for Star Wars).
The Rise of Skywalker likely won’t be another Solo and lose money, but this probably isn’t what Disney had in mind. There’s always a chance the film does better than expected, though it’s arguably a good thing the Mouse House is putting the Star Wars movies on ice for a few years, giving Lucasfilm ample time to plot out the franchise’s future. A hiatus from the big screen (there are still multiple Disney+ shows) should benefit the property. Even Disney admits they rushed the sequel trilogy out, and it looks like they’re starting to feel the repercussions of that. Hopefully when Star Wars returns to theaters in 2022, things are a bit more upbeat.
More: Every Star Wars Movie Coming After The Rise of Skywalker
Source: Box Office Pro
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Release Date: 2019-12-20
