'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Has Biggest Box Office Opening Ever for a Heist Movie

Solo: A Star Wars Story may have disappointed overall at the box office during its opening [...]

Solo: A Star Wars Story may have disappointed overall at the box office during its opening weekend, but the Han Solo origin movie was still somewhat successful. It now holds the record for biggest opening for a heist movie.

That's right: when it comes to the crime film subgenre focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a major theft -- usually called "heist films" or, sometimes, "caper movies" -- Solo now holds the record for largest opening and it's an impressive feat. According to Box Office Mojo, prior to Solo, 2011's Fast Five held the record for biggest heist film opening weekend with nearly $86.2 million. Solo's opening brought in $101 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend.

Outside of the heist subgenre, Solo also posted the strongest May movie opening since 2014. It's nothing to scoff at, but the film was expected to make much more than $101 million. Early projections were that Solo would earn $130-150 million over the holiday weekend.

However, what makes Solo's lower box office numbers problematic despite the records it's taken comes down to return on investment, if you will. With production costs estimated at $250 million, Solo is one of the most expensive movies ever made and that sum doesn't include marketing. It could be very difficult for the film to end up making money by the time it finishes its theatrical run.

Solo's disappointing box office performance will also likely lead to industry discussion trying to figure out exactly why the film underperformed so much -- something the smaller category success won't change. Already, fans have been suggesting that Solo suffers from any number of issues, including Star Wars franchise fatigue.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is now playing in theaters. The Skywalker Saga continues in Star Wars: Episode IX, opening on December 20, 2019. Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is said to be working on a new trilogy of Star Wars movies apart from the Skywalker Saga, and Game of Thrones creators DB Weiss and David Benioff are also said to be working on their trilogy of Star Wars movies.

[ H/T: Mashable ]

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