Almost four weeks have passed since its theatrical debut in the States and Rogue One‘s once-ironclad hold on the domestic box office is understandably on the wane. Oscar-tipped NASA drama Hidden Figures officially dethroned the Gareth Edwards-directed anthology movie at last weekend’s box office following a photo finish, but don’t let that take anything away from Rogue One‘s impressive performance both at home and overseas.
As a matter of fact, figures posted by Box Office Mojo reveal that the first of Disney’s planned anthology movies has now surpassed The Phantom Menace to become the second highest-grossing Star Wars movie in history – providing those figures are unadjusted for inflation. Rogue One‘s total cume now stands at around $916 million worldwide – $479 million of which was pulled in on home turf – compared to The Phantom Menace‘s domestic haul of $431 million back in ’99.
It should be noted that the former enjoyed a much bigger opening in terms of theaters – over 4,100 to The Phantom Menace‘s 3,126 – but the numbers still translate into a landmark success for Gareth Edwards and Co. no matter which way you spin them. As it nears the end of its theatrical run, the big question now is whether Rogue One: A Star Wars Story can blow past $1 billion – a milestone that will surely see it overtake Finding Dory to become 2016’s highest-grossing film domestically.
Either way, for a film that was never expected to reach the dizzying heights of The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is doing just fine – great, in fact. In many ways, it’s also changed the grand Star Wars universe forever. Looking further afield, Star Wars: Episode VIII is next to tumble off the Disney production line this December.
