Fandango reports Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker presales are similar to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. When Disney relaunched the iconic franchise in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it broke box office records with its $247.9 million opening and still stands as the highest-grossing film of all time domestically, not adjusting for inflation. The Last Jedi’s box office total dipped from that, but that was expected since The Force Awakens was a special event that reignited the franchise. Many have expected The Rise of Skywalker to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, but initial box office predictions had it opening lower than The Last Jedi.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
Expectations are high for The Rise of Skywalker as it brings the beloved Skywalker saga to a close and says farewell to numerous characters, like Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Reviews were released earlier today, and the critical consensus is decidedly mixed. Currently, it has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of any Star Wars film; as of this writing, it stands at a 57 percent. This is no doubt concerning for some fans, many of whom are hoping The Rise of Skywalker will be a return to form after the heavily debated Last Jedi.
Fandango revealed today that The Rise of Skywalker is pacing similarly to The Last Jedi at this point in their sales cycles, and that the new film currently represents more than 70 percent of the ticketing site’s daily sales. This suggests more fans were waiting until closer to the film’s release to buy their tickets, and that the Star Wars brand is still a formidable presence at the box office. It’s important to note that even if The Rise of Skywalker’s opening is still smaller than The Last Jedi‘s, it will likely still have an opening far bigger than most films could ever hope to achieve.
Fandango also surveyed more than 1,000 millennial moviegoers about how they’re preparing for The Rise of Skywalker, and nearly half said they expect to see the film at least twice during the holidays. Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis said in a statement, “Seeing a Star Wars film on the big screen is a family holiday tradition, and according to our survey, fans will return to the theater multiple times over the next few weeks for repeat Skywalker viewings.” This will certainly bolster the film’s box office total in the weeks to come.
The Rise of Skywalker’s box office prospects won’t officially be known until Friday, when Thursday preview numbers arrive and showings of the film begin. A healthy box office gross will restore faith in the franchise after 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story underperformed and led to concerns of franchise fatigue. Star Wars films will take a hiatus following The Rise of Skywalker to help combat this, but if the film does well, the executives at Disney and Lucasfilm will likely feel better about the future of the galaxy from far, far away. Until then, all eyes are on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as it finally arrives this weekend.
Source: Fandango
- Star Wars 9 / Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) release date: Dec 20, 2019
