Star Wars: Early Tracking Predicts 'The Last Jedi' to Earn Second-Best Opening Ever

Fans still have two more months to wait before seeing the continued adventures of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron, but box office pundits are already predicting The Last Jedi's financial success. According to BoxOffice.com, current predictions have The Last Jedi earning $215 million opening weekend, a number only surpassed by The Force Awakens' $247 million opening.

Given how excited fans were to see a new chapter in the Star Wars saga, The Force Awakens broke a variety of records with its opening weekend. With that excitement having somewhat worn off, it's doubtful that the sequel would break the same kinds of records. The massive number would, however, oust Jurassic World's $208.8 million, Marvel's The Avengers' $207.4 million and Avengers: Age of Ultron's $191.2 million. The number would also mean Disney would own four of the five highest opening weekends in cinema's history.

Extrapolating these predictions to determine The Last Jedi's final box office numbers gives us roughly $742 million at the domestic box office. That number would put it behind both The Force Awakens and Avatar and their domestic box office totals.

When it comes to sequels, it's tough to predict how they compare to a predecessor, as there are many factors at play. For example, given that we've had new Star Wars films the past two years, excitement for the franchise may have dwindled. On the other hand, a film like Jurassic World could spark interest in a franchise in ways its predecessors hasn't in years prior, resulting in earning more than a previous installment.

Another factor that's tough to account for is it's Carrie Fisher's final performance, and while her name is most connected to the Star Wars franchise, her passing late last year could spark interest in more casual fans seeing her portray Leia Organa one last time to be part of the cultural conversation.

A new trailer for The Last Jedi debuted earlier this month and was viewed over 120 million times in the first 24 hours, proving just how excited fans remain about the franchise. The response to the trailer was so overwhelming, Lucasfilm even took to their website to issue a thank you letter to fans, telling fans, "We are humbled and grateful."

The Last Jedi lands in theaters December 15.

[H/T StarWarsNewsNet]