'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' to Cross $600 Million at Domestic Box Office

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is nearing the end of its theatrical run and as it closes in on that finish line it's also closing in on a significant take at the domestic box office.

According to Box Office Mojo, The Last Jedi is poised to cross $600 million at the domestic box office this weekend. As of yesterday, the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise was sitting at just over $599 million and should top $600 million once today's receipts are tallied.

These numbers are a factor in the projection that the film will end it theatrical run with a $1.31 billion global box office take. While that number falls a bit short of the $1.6 billion initially estimated for The Last Jedi's performance, it still puts the film above Frozen's $1.27 billion and would make it the eighth-highest grossing movie of all time, behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

The slightly disappointing numbers have various factors. Despite a strong domestic opening -- the film scored a huge $104.8 million at the box office on its opening day -- the film's momentum slowed earlier than both The Force Awakens and Rogue One. Part of this can be attributed division among fans about the film, which drew as much anger and hatred for its depiction of Luke as it has praise, but it can also be attributed to a bit of Star Wars fatigue of sorts. The Last Jedi is the third Star Wars film in three years, a franchise that previously only released one film every three years, but more than that The Force Awakens was the first franchise film in a decade. That movie was successful in part because of the massive excitement to see what happened following Return of the Jedi, excitement that just wasn't there for The Last Jedi.

The Last Jedi is also the most different film in the franchise. In addition to the longest runtime of any Star Wars film, The Last Jedi also featured darker, more mature themes as well as markedly shifted the story's weight from the beloved characters of the original trilogy more towards newer characters in the universe -- a move that didn't resonate well with all fans. The film also had some surprising competition for audience dollars that many did not account for. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle quickly passed The Last Jedi at the top of the box office.

And The Last Jedi was met with surprisingly low numbers in China, opening at half of what The Force Awakened did in that market. One reviewer even went so far as to say that The Last Jedi "really insults the IQ of its audience."

Box office setbacks aside, The Last Jedi is still a bona fide success and more installments in the Star Wars franchise are planned. Solo: A Star Wars Story is due out in May while the yet-unnamed Episode IX will hit theaters on December 20, 2019. Rian Johnson, director of The Last Jedi, is also working on a new Star Wars trilogy, ensuring that there will be more glimpses of a galaxy far, far away for years to come.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in theaters now.