'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Headed Towards Top 10 All-Time Box Office

The latest installment in the Star Wars series has recently passed a Marvel Cinematic Universe heavy-hitter by knocking Iron Man 3 out of its #12 spot on the list of highest-grossing movies of all time. As The Last Jedi approaches the end of its first full month in release, it sits at an estimated $1.29 billion total worldwide.

Ahead of The Last Jedi in the rankings are The Fate of the Furious, which the Star Wars film could pass with a mere $7 million, but the bigger challenge will be besting another Disney film, the live-action Beauty and the Beast. The adaptation sits at $1.263 billion, which means The Last Jedi would need more than $30 million to top.

The earliest predictions for The Last Jedi put the film around the $1.6 billion worldwide mark, yet the film has a long way to go before meeting those expectations. This isn't to say that the film is a financial disappointment, but a few different factors have hindered its success.

The film opened to lackluster numbers in China, which is the second-largest worldwide market. The Last Jedi opened to $28.7 million this weekend, falling short of both Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's $30 million and The Force Awakens' $52 million. This isn't to say the film has disappointed worldwide, as it had strong showings in the United Kingdom ($102.9 million), Germany ($73.5 million), France ($57.6 million) and Japan ($52.2 million).

However, with China being one of the last major markets for the film to debut, it is the last big opportunity to squeeze every dollar out of audiences.

Another hindrance of the film are the controversies surrounding the storylines and how upset many devout "fans" have called for the film to be erased from the series' official canon.

In the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker was depicted as the ultimate hero who would never waver in his allegiances to the Jedi Order. In The Last Jedi, Luke's failings as a teacher resulted in him turning his back on the Jedi and seeking exile on Ahch-To.

Since the film's debut, viewers have targeted their hatred towards writer/director Rian Johnson, demanding he be removed from a leadership position in regards to an upcoming trilogy of Star Wars films, in addition to petitions surfacing across the internet in hopes of these audiences having their perspectives heard.

This disappointing reception has surely reduced the number of repeat viewers for the film, resulting in lower box office totals.

You can see The Last Jedi in theaters now.

(H/T BoxOfficeMojo)