The newest entry in the vaunted Star Wars series of films is hitting theaters in less than a week — and fans seem to be ready to shell out the cash to see it. Just last year, the Star Wars franchise was reinvigorated by the release of The Force Awakens — which brought in nearly a billion dollars domestically and over 2 billion globally (making it the highest grossing domestic picture of all time) — ushering in a new era for the legendary space opera. While Rogue One: A Star Wars Story isn’t quite tracking at that level, it does look increasingly likely to produce at least one of the top 20 largest opening nights of all time. Deadline reports:
Rogue One with a frosh dramatis personae will kick off pretty high with a worldwide start over five days between $280M-$350M. Only 19 movies have opened to north of $300M worldwide to date. This year, Batman V Superman ($422.5M) and Captain America: Civil War ($379.5) were two of them … In the U.S./Canada, industry projections currently lie between $140M-$150M in 4,100-plus sites, with a heavier interest among men than women. Still the notion among distribution chiefs is that the latter sex will come along for the want-to-see in the days following the pic’s release. By comparison, Force Awakens opened in 4,134 locations. 400 IMAX theaters will have the Gareth Edwards-directed Rogue One for four weeks around the globe. Of its theater count, Rogue One is comprised of 500 Premium Large Format screens (the largest PLF footprint ever for any release), 3,500+ 3D screens and nearly 200 D-Box locations. Even if Rogue One comes in lower, just over $100M, it would still rank as the second-best opening this winter month has ever seen since Force Awakens’ $247.96M all-time three-day. That beat the month’s previous record holder, 2012’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ($84.6M), by close to twofold.
Star Wars has long been an American favorite due to its endearing characters, immersive world building, incredible soundtrack, and compelling story arc centered around an intensely flawed and wounded character (Anakin Skywalker); who moves from slave, to Jedi, to a state of immense darkness and evil, and finally to redemption.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens everywhere December 16th; with special Thursday night previews the night before.
Who is excited to see this new entry in the Star Wars saga? I know we are! Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below.
