Following the unexpected disappointment of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Disney is hoping that the franchise can return to form with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Judging by what he’s seen so far, the company’s CEO Bob Iger feels confident that the studio is in line for another massive blockbuster.
“It’s our feeling that we’ve done a good job with [the Star Wars movies we’ve helped make,” he says. “I haven’t seen [The Rise of Skywalker] finished yet, but I’m confident, based off of the pieces that I’ve seen and the script that I read, that it’s going to be extremely popular.”
These comments aren’t exactly a hot take. Despite the rare misstep of the Han Solo origin story, every other movie in the intergalactic franchise has been a huge financial success. In fact, some even speculate that this year’s Star Wars movie could eclipse Avengers: Endgame at the box office.
Iger and the rest of the executives at Disney are banking on a big turnout for the late December release, too. They already have an additional three Star Wars movies in the pipeline, as well as three live-action series in the works for the company’s upcoming streaming platform. Disney is counting on this latest installment to wow critics and fans alike in order to justify the abundance of spinoffs and additional titles on the horizon.
If the flick ends up performing as expected, it will be yet another big win for the multimedia conglomerate. The record-breaking success of Avengers: Endgame coupled with the expected triumphs of the Aladdin and Lion King live-action remakes coming out later in 2019 already put the company in a very comfortable position.
Throw in the blockbuster potential of more Star Wars movies, as well as the highly-anticipated sequels of the Avatar films coming out in subsequent years, and it looks like Disney will continue ruling the box office for decades to come.
Iger’s primary focus for now, though, appears to be on ensuring that the legendary space franchise is still a moneymaker, and fans will find out if the CEO’s bold claims are right when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.
