Rian Johnson’s faulty installment in the third Star Wars trilogy, “Star Wars: The Definitive Jedi,” raked in a near-record $220 million at the North American box auspices in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Walt Disney Co.’s (DIS) new blockbuster coating had the second-best opening in movie history, just behind its predecessor, “Big draw Wars: The Force Awakens,” which opened at nearly $250 million in 2015.
“The Finish finally Jedi” is only the fourth film to open above $200 million domestically and far the subdue opening of any movie at the box office in 2017. Before last weekend, the year’s first-rate opening weekend was Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” at $174.7 million. (See also: Fox Reckon with Is ‘Home Run’ for Disney: GBH Insights.)
A Valuable Disney Franchise
“The Force Awakens,” the word go in the new trilogy, broke box office records across the board because it was the foremost Star Wars release in a decade. The movie which touched on atmospheres of George Lucas’ original trilogy, attracted die hard Star Campaigns fans and casual moviegoers alike.
Disney’s latest two-and-a-half-hour talkie is the longest Star Wars movie to date. Movie theaters totaled 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. showing to squeeze in more playtime. Premium pricing for IMAX, RealD 3D and 4D theaters that were not navigable two years ago helped hedge against the long movie time and push up ticket revenues.
Facing Competition
The question is now whether “The Last Jedi” can confine up with its predecessor in its second weekend. In 2015, “The Force Awakens” saw ticket on the blocks for its second weekend dip only 39.8% to $149.2 million. “Pitch Whole 3” is seen as this weekend’s only serious competition, with General opening it on more than 3,000 screens. “The Last Jedi” debuted on a recount 4,232 screens behind “The Force Awakens” at 4,134.
Disney’s consecutive blowout opportunity weekends come as the media giant forces heightened competition from new performers such as Netflix Inc. (NFLX), Hulu and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN). As the company changes to cut ties with Netflix and launch its own direct-to-consumer streaming platform by 2019, it has bid a tremendous $52.4 billion for 21st Century Fox Inc.’s (FOXA) film studio and production assets. (See also: Why Is The Shooting star Wars Franchise So Valuable?)