Few things go together quite like the holidays and the movies. Once the presents have been opened, you pile into the car to go check out the latest winter blockbuster. It's tradition that any self-respecting cinephile is familiar with, and it now seems the tradition is alive and well this year. In fact, new reports are now confirming that Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is still making an absolute killing at the box office just in time for the holidays.
The box office numbers continue to roll in, and THR reports that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hasn't come close to faltering at the box office yet. The first standalone Star Wars movie has experienced a strong second weekend in theaters, and it's expected to close out the holiday with a Friday-Monday gross of roughly $110 million -- with $23 million of that gross coming from Friday showings. The film surged beyond the $400 million mark globally over the weekend, thus solidifying Rogue One's place as an absolute box office phenomenon.
The financial success of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is even more impressive when we consider its reduced connection to the primary Star Wars franchise. Despite the fact that fan-favorites like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia don't appear in the movie, Rogue One has still managed to resonate with audiences on a profound level. If nothing else, this seems like a wonderful indication that other standalone Star Wars movies will continue to thrive without the central narrative there to support them. Can we please have the Han Solo movie now, Lucasfilm?
Of course, we should still note that Rogue One isn't expected to put up The Force Awakens numbers. The J.J. Abrams film had the added advantage of being the first Star Wars movie to hit theaters in a decade, as well as the aforementioned benefit of bringing iconic characters back into the fray, which certainly gave it a box office boost. That being said, we don't think anyone at Disney or Lucasfilm is complaining; someone is going to get a Christmas bonus this year.
Rogue One's box office strength is even more notable when compared to the competition it went up against over the weekend. Hopes were high for Assassins Creed, Passengers, Why Him?, and Sing, but the Star Wars film has held strong in the face of a crowded box office slate. Among all of the competitors, Sing gave the best performance by drawing in a $75 million six-day gross, while the rest have more or less financially and critically underperformed.
CinemaBlend will bring you any and all relevant updates related to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as more information is made available to us. The first standalone Star Wars film is currently in theaters, but based on the box office numbers you probably already know that. The Star Wars universe will continue to expand when Episode VIII hits theaters next year on December 15, 2017.
