Lacey Bridges
As predicted, “Rogue One : A Star Wars Story” opened big this weekend.
Though Gareth Edwards’ non-saga film didn’t open as big as last year’s “Star Wars : The Force Awakens”, the movie still managed to become the second highest opener of all time for the month of December.
The Ben Mendelsohn-starrer made $155 million in its domestic debut from 4,157 theaters and $135.5 million internationally for a global launch of $290.5 million.
The movie, which cost $200 million to make, immediately reassures Disney that they’ve made the right decision in making a “Star Wars” movie every year for the next twelve millennial.
“This is a massive opening and the second-best by a wide margin. And it sets us up in a perfect way for the lucrative holiday period ahead,” said Disney distribution chief Dave Hollis. “It is a litmus test for what these stand-alone movies can be, both from a story perspective and a commercial perspective.”
Most had “Rogue One” opening around the $150 million range – – but this still isn’t too shabby!
At the other end of the scale, Will Smith scored the biggest bomb of his career with “Collateral Beauty”. New Line and Village Roadshow’s drama made only $7 million of it’s $36 million dollar budget back.
