'Last Jedi' Could Flirt with Half-Billion-Dollar Opening Weekend
by EG
Next weekend is going to belong entirely to Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. The new franchise installment, which debuts on Dec. 15, is expected to earn more than $200 million in its opening weekend in the United States alone, and its international take could be well over $400 million. And that's not even including China, where audiences will have to wait a few more weeks for the movie's debut.
The Force is getting ready to strike the global box office once again.
Disney and Lucasfilms' Star Wars: The Last Jedi begins opening in select foreign markets mid-week before blasting off in North America and other major territories on Friday. That excludes China, where the tentpole doesn't roll out until Jan. 5.
By all accounts, the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens should gross $425 million-plus by Sunday to secure one of the five best worldwide openings of all time, not accounting for inflation. That includes a North American take in the $200 million range, the best opening of the year so far and a feat few movies have achieved. All of Hollywood is counting on The Last Jedi to narrow the year-over-gap in domestic revenue, which is currently running roughly four percent behind last year's record $11.4 billion.
A major challenge for Disney is managing expectations so as to avoid the inevitable comparisons to director J.J. Abrams' Force Awakens, which racked in $247.9 million in December 2016, the top domestic opening of all time, on its way to becoming the No. 1 film of all time domestically with $936.7 million, not accounting for inflation. Disney says Force Awakens had the distinction of being the first Star Wars film in a decade.
Overseas, Force Awakens debuted to $281 million for a total $529 million, the second-biggest global opening of all time behind this year's The Fate of the Furious ($541.9 million), which had the advantage of launching day and date in China to a massive $184.9 million.
Last year, spinoff Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opened to $290.1 million globally, including $155.1 million domestically and $135 million internationally.
Directed by Rian Johnson, Last Jedi sports a running time of two and a half hours, compared to two hours and 16 minutes for Force Awakens.
Last Jedi — otherwise known as Episode VIII — reunites many of the new Star Wars actors introduced in Force Awakens, including Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, along with original stars Mark Hamill and the late Carrie Fisher, to whom the movie is dedicated. Franchise newcomers include Kelly Maria Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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