You may have noticed that things haven’t been going too swimmingly for Solo: A Star Wars Story from a box office perspective, with the Alden Ehrenreich-led actioner now expected to lose Disney at least $50 million dollars. Whether you think it’s poor marketing to blame, Star Wars fatigue kicking in, production troubles generating bad buzz, or the divisive Last Jedi keeping fans away, the Han Solo prequel isn’t getting the audience it needs and director Ron Howard is, understandably, a little downhearted about this.
Howard’s recent lament was motivated by a Tweet from Solo fan Kris Fairbanks, who expressed her disappointment at the film’s low turnout, saying:
I’ve been reading so many theories as to why ‘Solo’ hasn’t been doing so well at the box office – sad to say, some SW fans are snubbing Solo b/c they’re still upset over Last Jedi. If so, they’re missing out & punishing a good film for something not its fault.
The director gave a saddened response in which he stood by the movie that he and his team have made, explaining:
I’m proud of #SoloAStarWarsStory and the cast & crew worked hard to give fans a fun new addition. As a director I feel badly when people who I believe (& exit polls show) will very likely enjoy a movie… don’t see it on a big screen w/great sound.
It’s not all bad news for Howard, though. A couple of weeks ago, the Oscar-winning filmmaker Tweeted that the opening weekend figures, while disappointing, were at least a personal best for him. Still, since those first few days of release, the film has continued to perform below projections, so far grossing just over $312 million worldwide – a long way off the $1 billion mark passed by every other Star Wars movie this decade.
But while the box office figures for Solo: A Star Wars Story have proven that this franchise isn’t as bulletproof as expected, J.J. Abrams will have a chance to turn things around when Episode IX drops on December 20th, 2019. If one thing’s for certain, it’s that this could be a long, anxious year-and-a-half for Lucasfilm.
