We've been talking about the potential for Star Wars: The Last Jedi to make money at the box office for weeks. In fact the real question was not whether or not the movie would make money. It was a pretty sure bet that Rian Johnson's film would do well. However, the question before the film's release was how much money that would entail. Early estimates indicated the flick would make around $215 million domestically at the box office, and now estimates through today are in, and it looks as if those estimates weren't far off. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is looking as if it will actually make $220 million at theaters in the U.S.
That's a pretty big opening weekend. It's a little over $5 million more than early estimates. It's also the second largest opening for a Star Wars movie domestically, but the movie that Star Wars: The Last Jedi hasn't managed to match up to is none other than its predecessor, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The news comes just a couple of days after it was reported the latest Star Wars venture also made $45 million on opening night, a near record-breaking number that also was only beaten out by Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well.
Per Variety, Star Wars: The Last Jedi made $104.8 million between Thursday and Friday, an additional $64 million on Saturday. Today's estimates are projected to be in the $51 million dollar range, although we'll know for sure by tomorrow whether or not the movie actually sticks to that course or strays a little. The movie has made an additional $230 million worldwide.
Of course, The Force Awakens was the first major movie project that came out of the Disney deal with Lucasfilm. In addition, it was the first big screen venture Star Wars fans had been privy to in years. It featured a slew of new characters, a new adventure story, and new planets to look forward to, so it's pretty easy to see how excitement for that movie was at an all-time high. We'll have to wait and see how Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues to do in the weeks to come, as movie theaters often continue to be busy around the Christmas holiday.
Disney and Lucasfilm have a slew of Star Wars projects on the horizon. Some of these are standalone films like Solo: A Star Wars Story. In addition, Episode IX and a whole new trilogy of movie films are already in the works. Disney has invested heavily in Star Wars: The Last Jedi's director, Rian Johnson, as well. He'll be writing and directing the first installment of the brand new trilogy the House of Mouse wants to get off of the ground. We'll let you know exactly where that trilogy goes in future months. For now, catch _Star Wars: The Last Jed_i in theaters, now.
