Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Expected To Open To $280-350 Million Globally

Next week, all eyes will be on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The film stands as Lucasfilm's first standalone Star Wars film, and fans are eager to see what the spin-off will entail. First impressions of the film have been positive thus far, and that favorable word of mouth has been priceless for the folks at Disney. The newest predictions are in for Rogue One's global opening, and the numbers say the sci-fi spectacle will rake in between $280-350 million.

UP NEXT: George Lucas Loved Rogue One

Of course, the number comes nowhere close to beating out Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. When the latest saga installment debuted, the film raked in $528 million at the international box-office in a record-breaking run. For Rogue One, the estimates are more reserves, but its five-day opening will certainly instill faith in upcoming Star Wars standalones.

If Rogue One opens to more than $300 million, then it will join an exclusive list of box-office darlings. Only 19 movies have opened north of that number to date, so Rogue One would join the company of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War.

For those of you who are curious about the estimate's breakdowns, then you should know the majority of Rogue One's haul will come from North America. Industry experts expect the film to earn between $140-150 million stateside when it releases in 4,100+ cinemas. So far, there's no set estimates for Rogue One's preview earnings, but fans believe the box-office numbers will hover around $20 million.

ComicBook.com's Star Wars expert, Lucas Siegel, commented on how the opening of Rogue One in North America will stack up against previous blockbusters. "Rogue One opens December 16, a day shy of one year to the day since Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened to a box office record annihilating $247,966,675 opening weekend. That beat the previous record holder Jurassic World, set only six months prior, by nearly forty million dollars, and made prior December records look like pocket change - The Hobbit held December's prior win with less than $85 million," he said.

"A $130 million opener for Rogue One will set it in a clear and dominant #2 position in the first winter month, and if it can crack $134 million, it could even deliver a top 20 overall victory."

More Star Wars News: Daisy Ridley Thinks Rey's Parents Were Revealed in The Force Awakens | Why Darth Vader's Costume Changed for Rogue One| How Rogue One Opens Without a Crawl | Spoiler-Free Review of First 30 Minutes of Rogue One | Star Wars: Rogue One Director Wants An Obi-Wan Movie | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Jyn Erso Featurette Released

Internationally, Rogue One will open in several European countries next week along with North America. Places like Belgium, Sweden, and the United Kingdom will all pitch in their funds to help Rogue One rocket into a stellar opening weekend.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set between the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and shortly before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In the film, resistance fighters embark on a daring mission to steal the Empire's plans for the Death Star.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16, 2016.

[H/T] Deadline