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 The massive ticket sales show "Star Wars" remains one of the
premiere Hollywood franchises able to draw big crowds to
theaters, but the results also fell short of the prior films in
the current trilogy. The 2015 movie "The Force Awakens opened
with $517 million domestically and 2017's "The Last Jedi" had a
$450 million global debut.
Roughly $176 million of the total for "Rise of Skywalker" came
from the United States and Canada, ranking as the 12th-biggest
opening of all time, and the third biggest in December, in the
world's largest film market.
"That's a great number for December," said Jeff Bock, senior box
office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. "This is a huge
franchise. It's got fans in every corner of the world."
But, Bock added, "that's a 20% decline (domestically) from the
last installment. That's a cause for concern no matter how big
your franchise is."
Directed by J.J. Abrams, the new movie concludes a story begun
by George Lucas in 1977 and centered around a young hero named
Luke Skywalker. The latest episode, the ninth in the series,
stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac as a trio taking
up the fight against evil in the galaxy.
Critics have been divided on "Rise of Skywalker," with
detractors saying the plot was convoluted and unimaginative.
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But many fans have embraced the latest chapter. About 86% of "Rise
of Skywalker" ticket buyers surveyed by website Rotten Tomatoes gave
the movie positive reviews.
Moviegoers arrived at theaters dressed as favorite characters from
scavenger heroine Rey to furry warrior Chewbacca. Some attended
24-hour marathon screenings of the previous eight films leading up
to "Rise of Skywalker."
Cathleen Taff, Disney's head of theatrical distribution, said the
company was pleased with initial sales and would judge the movie
based on its entire run. The film is expected to attract families
who are off from work over the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
"We think it's a great start heading into these first couple weeks
where we have the added benefit of holiday play," she said.
Disney is putting future "Star Wars" movies on hold while the
company decides where to take the franchise. Its next "Star Wars"
movie is scheduled for release in December 2022.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Rollo Ross;
Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Paul Simao)
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