Surprising nobody – and in the space of just two weeks since its worldwide release – Star Wars: The Last Jedi has thundered past all but one movie in terms of U.S. domestic box office takings for the entirety of 2017. That means the latest chapter from a galaxy far, far away has officially toppled Wonder Woman from her hard-won spot as the second highest grossing film of the year, domestically-speaking.
With a current total of $423.7 million, the only title The Last Jedi has yet to defeat is Disney stable-mate Beauty And The Beast – which finished its domestic theatrical run earlier in the year with an impressive $504 million. With just three days left in 2017, it seems we may well have a photo-finish on our hands, as Star Wars: The Last Jedi earned $28.1 million on December 27th – seeing a slight increase from Christmas Day takings. Another three days performing at that level would put Rian Johnson’s Star Wars franchise debut in the top spot, with a $4 million advantage. Either way, Disney wins.
It’s important to note, however, that such a box office ranking marks something of a sea-change in both filmmaking and distribution. As big budget, tentpole, franchise movies, both Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Wonder Woman have broken new ground in a variety of ways.
Wonder Woman is the first studio-backed superhero origin movie to be directed by a woman, and make it into the top five highest grossing pics of the year. It’s also the big screen debut of one of DC’s most iconic characters, and was embraced by audiences worldwide as a deeply feminist film – in a way few others have been.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, meanwhile, has blown the traditional ‘token woman’ Star Wars formula wide open by including more than ten named female characters – each of whom plays a highly consequential role in the narrative, with every plot thread being driven forward by a woman, as opposed to a man. Though the film unfortunately and unavoidably marks the franchise farewell to legendary icon Carrie Fisher, the story has introduced many new women into the series canon – all of whom are well-written and brilliantly performed.
So, while Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Beauty And The Beast are financial wins for Disney, it’s the top three of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the female-led Beauty And The Beast and Wonder Woman which prove that 2017 was a real win for women in the audience.
