In the strange game of this year's summer blockbusters, apparently giant shark eats Millennial Falcon. One of the world's most beloved franchises has been commercially beat by the spectacle of seeing Jason Statham versus a giant shark. While Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was released back in May, managed to earn $392 million worldwide, The Meg has already surpassed that total by obtaining $411 million after its third weekend in theaters. The continuing box office success for the The Meg comes from the film's over-performing numbers during its opening weekend, and its current top spot on charts around the world.
While these numbers from Box Office Mojo place The Meg over Solo: A Star Wars Story worldwide, Jason Statham's successful summer movie is proving way more popular overseas then domestically, as 75% of its earnings are from the foreign ticket sales. Solo's earnings were much more evenly split between the domestic and foreign box office, with the Star Wars spin-off making double of what The Meg has racked up here at home, with $105 million so far. Solo also saw a more impressive opening weekend as it opened with $84 million, while The Meg made only about half of that, $45 million, when it debuted a few weeks ago. While The Meg certainly has become a surprise hit, especially considering the divided opinions among audiences and critics, Solo was considered a financial disappointment for Disney, as the film made a lot less than expected for a Star Wars movie, as the franchise usually makes some of the highest earnings of the year.
Solo: A Star Wars Story was out in theaters just six months after Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and it's been speculated that audiences were unprepared for another adventure to a galaxy far, far away so soon. Although critical reception was pretty solid, lots of moviegoers found the spin-off to be disappointing, and the film didn't share the same high level of anticipation that we usually see for this brand. Another factor in the performance may have been the bad publicity regarding production issues, and the events that led to new director, Ron Howard, stepping in late in the project's development. The movie also opened with Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 already in cinemas as hefty competition.
The Meg opened under much different circumstances, as it debuted in August as the summer blockbuster season generally starts to die down. The shark flick over-performed as the box office, especially overseas due to elements such as opting for a PG-13 rating, and having a talented ensemble cast including Jason Statham, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose and Bingbing Li. It should also be noted that the horror genre has had a good year so far, with hits such as A Quiet Place and Hereditary.
Although the success of Crazy Rich Asians has started to overshadow The Meg in recent weeks, the rom com isn't benefitting from the worldwide numbers that The Meg has put up (so far). Audiences around the world have clearly been itching for more sharks rather than more Han Solo, and The Meg hit the spot.
