After a mixed response from critics and fans,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeris having a mixed time at the box office too.
As of January 1, the climactic chapter in the Skywalker Saga has grossed $ 866. 4 million worldwide and will cross $ 1 billion. It’s a performance that most blockbusters would kill for, so you could hardly call it a flop.
However, when you consider that it will likely fall short ofThe Last Jedi $ 1. billion and end some way behindThe Force Awakens
$ 2. 013 billion, it is a disappointment and a bit of a surprise.[2018] So was it just the critical response that led to the softer box-office returns? Not quite.
LucasfilmDisney
The reviews would have had some impact on the box office, but it would have been minimal given that it was the final movie in a trilogy and part of a long-running and well -established franchise.
Fans would have gone to see [4K]
The Rise of Skywalker [2017] without paying too much mind to the reviews. Yes, there would have been a few who would have seen the reviews and decided to wait for the home release, but their absence wouldn’t have been fatal to its box-office chances.
Whatwouldhave affected the potential audience is their attitudes toThe Last Jediand the sequel trilogy as a whole.********************There is a section of theStar Warsfandom that just doesn’t like the sequel trilogy. Even though they showed up forThe Force Awakens, they gave (The Last Jedi) ************** andThe Rise of Skywalker a miss.
Disney
What’s more,The Last Jedireceived a mixed reaction of its own and could have put off more fans from going to seeThe Rise of Skywalker.The return of JJ Abrams could have enticed some of them back, but as good as Abrams is , his return isn’t exactly comparable to, say, George Lucas coming back. (Obviously, that would have never happened.)
UnlikeThe Empire Strikes Back,The Last Jedi
does not end on a cliffhanger. It’s fairly self-contained, given it’s the middle part of a trilogy, so there’s nothing to be resolved and it did instil a ‘need-to-see’ factor forThe Rise of SkywalkerLucasfilm / Disney
The Rise of Skywalkerwas never going to be as big asAvengers: Endgame, but for a comparison, even if you did not likeAvengers: Infinity War, you’d have still felt like youneededto know what came next.
Disney’s marketing went big onTROSbeing the end of the saga to try and capture that vibe. But ‘end of saga’ isn’t comparable to ‘immediate cliffhanger’ though, something that could have enticed even the most ardentLast Jedicritic.
[4K] But even if the sequel trilogy had been universally beloved,The Rise of Skywalkerwould perhaps [2018] stillhave been fighting a losing battle at the box office. As)**************** Forbes ‘Scott Mendelson argues, the incredible performance ofThe Force Awakensset unrealistic expectations for the other movies, especially after spin-offRogue Onealso hit $ 1 billion at the box office.
Lucasfilm
“The excessive success ofThe Force Awakensindirectly harmed the franchise by making the studio (and / or shareholders) think they could hit that mark every time, “he writes.
“And that presumption, along with SEO-driven narratives about audiences hatingThe Last Jedi(which received an A from Cinemascore and still sold a ton of Blu-rays), perhaps led Disney to think thatLast Jedi did underperform or that the sky-high potential ofForce Awakenswas theoretically still in play. “But what aboutStar Warsfatigue, we hear you ask? Sure, that could have been a factor, butMarvelhas done all right with movies released sinceThe Force Awakens, compared to fiveStar Warsmovies.
Marvel Studios
You can only play the nostalgia angle once – and it worked successfully forThe Force Awakens, the first sequel in theStar Warsseries for more than (years.) **********However, fans will come out to see a movie, even if it’s an annual event, if the desire is there. And asThe Rise of Skywalkerhas found out to its cost, there just not enough desire from across all ofStar Warsfandom.************************************ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker************ (is in cinemas now.) ******************************************
Star Wars – The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray] [1977] [Region Free]
Star Wars: The Complete Saga – Episodes I-VI [6DVD] (English audio. English subtitles)
Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (Episodes IV-VI) [Blu-ray] [1977] [Region Free]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens [Blu-ray] [2015] [Region Free]
Star Wars: The Last Jedi [4K UHD] [Blu-ray] [2017]
Star Wars: The Last Jedi [Blu-ray] [2017]
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [Blu-ray] [2017] [Region Free]
Solo: A Star Wars Story [4K] [Blu-ray] [2018] [Region Free] (*****************
Solo: A Star Wars Story [Blu-ray] [2018] [Region Free] (*************************************************************************************** (Digital Spy now has a newsletter –sign upto get it sent straight to your inbox.
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