The Force Building Up: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Tracking For $200 Million Opening
The first tracking reports for the highly anticipated film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, have arrived less than a month before it officially hits theaters worldwide.
$200 Million Box Office Collection Projected
Based on early tracking reports, the upcoming Disney and Lucasfilm release, the follow-up to 2015's The Force Awakens is projected to register a $200 million box office collection on its opening weekend.
Only a handful of films have been able to achieve this goal, however, it still puts The Last Jedi below The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens, which was the first Star Wars release in a decade, raked in a record-breaking $248 million on its opening weekend, the highest ever recorded by a film.
Other movies of the $200 million club include Jurassic World ($208 million) and The Avengers ($207 million).
The first Star Wars spinoff, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, opened last year with $155.1 million, making it the 13th-highest of all time. The film, which starred Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, and Donnie Yen, grossed $532 million in total domestically, the seventh highest ever.
The Biggest Debut of 2017
Studios usually do not entertain tracking reports but Disney insiders are confident that Star Wars: The Last Jedi will surpass Beauty and the Beast's opening of $174 million, making it the biggest debut of the year to date. Four out of the top five opening weekends this year have been Disney releases, which include Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
If the upcoming film manages to meet the $200 million projection, it would become the fourth-highest opening of all time, just ahead of Avengers: Age of Ultron and behind The Avengers.
New 'Star Wars' Trilogy In The Works
The Last Jedi is directed by Rian Johnson who, as previously reported, is also in charge of a new Star Wars trilogy after Episode IX. In the upcoming films, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
Meanwhile, Episode VIII will see the return of cast members Mark Hamill, the late Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Andy Serkis alongside new stars Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, and Benicio del Toro. It's the final film role for Fisher who passed away last year.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is slated to hit theaters this holiday season and officially premieres on Dec. 15, 2017.
