Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker just broke the record for the third biggest December opening of all-time, but with a launch of $175.5 million at the North American box office, the movie has fallen short of the last two chapters in the Skywalker Saga.
The Force Awakens holds the record for the best December debut with $248 million, while
The Last Jedi is in second place with $220 million.
As you can see, that means
The Rise of Skywalker was behind its predecessor by nearly $45 million!
A $175.5 million opening weekend is by no means a bad thing, of course, but you have to wonder whether Disney will take this into account while addressing the future of the franchise.
As
The Force Awakens and
The Last Jedi opened further away from Christmas, box office analysts believe that the biggest test for this finale will be over the holidays when moviegoers are free to head to theaters (rather than doing last-minute shopping and the like). Overseas,
The Rise of Skywalker earned $198 million, a figure also behind the rest of this
Star Wars trilogy.
Mixed reviews and a B+ CinemaScore are some big challenges facing the movie right now, while a $300 million production budget - not including marketing - means it needs to make a lot of money!
Have you guys watched
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker yet?