The past two weeks have been an absolute whirlwind for Star Wars fans, and things are just getting started.
With The Last Jedi‘s full-length trailer now out in the open, the Internet is awash with speculation and far-flung rumors, not to mention some fairly convincing theories drawn from the footage itself. In case you missed it, be sure to have a gander at our own trailer analysis, which cherry-picks eight crucial moments and examines what they could mean for The Last Jedi, the untitled Episode IX, and beyond.
But one thing that people haven’t really been talking about yet is just how much money the sequel’s going to make. Of course, it’s expected to open big – very big, actually – but will it top The Force Awakens? And how will it stack up against Rogue One? We’ll have to wait until December to find out the exact answers to those questions, but if we’re to believe the long range forecast, it’ll end up somewhere in the middle.
According to Box Office Pro, The Last Jedi will pull in approximately $215 million on opening weekend, falling quite short of the $247.9 million that J.J. Abrams’ aforementioned film took in. Still, this number is nothing to scoff at, as it’d make the blockbuster only the fourth movie ever to cross $200 million in a weekend and it’s also quite a bit higher than Rogue One‘s $155 million debut. All things considered, it’s a more than respectable figure and the folks at Disney will no doubt be pleased as punch if Episode VIII does indeed end off the weekend in that range.
Said to be different, unexpected, and quite possibly the longest film in the franchise, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is shaping up to be something truly special, not least because it’ll herald Carrie Fisher’s final turn in the Skywalker saga. Her General Leia Organa will be fondly remembered, of course, just don’t get your hopes up for any form of CGI resurrection in the untitled Episode IX.
Looking further afield, that aforementioned film has since found a new director (J.J. Abrams) and release date (December 20th, 2019), placing it right alongside Warner’s Wonder Woman 2.
