Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Outpacing The Last Jedi Box Office

The release of a new film in any franchise always results in the latest installment being compared to its predecessors and, in the case of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, its initial box office performance might not have been as strong as what came before it, but a new report from Deadline notes that the film is pacing to earn 3% more within its firsts 10 days of release than Star Wars: The Last Jedi. These numbers are still well below Star Wars: The Force Awakens' performance, but given The Rise of Skywalker's disappointing reviews from critics and fans, Lucasfilm is likely excited to earn any win it can find.

The report claimed that the new film is on track to earn $380.9 million domestically by Sunday night. These numbers are promising for the film, as The Rise of Skywalker took in $177.4 million domestically during its opening weekend, while The Last Jedi took in $220 in its opening weekend. The Force Awakens, meanwhile, took in $248 million domestically in its opening weekend.

The Force Awakens went on to take in $2.1 billion worldwide over the course of its theatrical run, due in large part to it being the first new Star Wars film since 2005's Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, while also being the first Star Wars film released by Disney, which saw our first looks at characters like Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker since 1983's Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Due in large part to the frequency at which films in the franchise continue to be released, it's likely that Lucasfilm will never see the success they earned with the franchise replicate that of The Force Awakens, though with the series expanding to other platforms, we won't be surprised to see the studio aim to deliver audiences multiple compelling stories with lower stakes than attempt to become the biggest theatrical event of the year.

Disney will still have an astonishing year, as the release of Avengers: Endgame earlier this year cemented the Marvel Cinematic Universe's legacy, with the film going on to become the top-grossing film of all time. Due to that film's accomplishments, The Rise of Skywalker will be only the second Star Wars film in history to not become the top-grossing movie of the year, as Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was bested by The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Spider-Man back in 2002.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now.

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