'The Last Jedi' rules the 2017 box office with a chart-topping $220 million opening
In news that should surprise precisely no one, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is poised to become the proud owner of 2017's biggest opening weekend at the U.S. box office.
Take a moment to process this not-at-all-unexpected development. I'll wait.
Sunday estimates point to a massive $220 million weekend, giving The Last Jedi's first days in theaters a commanding lead over the previous 2017 chart-topper among domestic releases: Beauty and the Beast.
The live-action remake nabbed $174.8 million in its first three days. Even if the current Last Jedi estimates fall short, there's virtually no chance of it finishing the weekend with less than what Beauty pulled in.
The Last Jedi also cements what has been an astoundingly successful year at the movies for Disney. As if the company's looming acquisition of 21st Century Fox properties isn't enough, The Last Jedi also cements Disney's ownership of four of the top five opening weekends in 2017: In addition to Star Wars and Beauty, there's also Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (#3, with $146.5 million) and Thor: Ragnarok (#5, with $122.7 million).
The only non-Disney outlier, at #4, is Warner Bros. It, with $123.4 million. The adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel is a trailblazer on its own, as the top horror movie of all time at the box office.
Hilariously, the one domestic opening weekend record The Last Jedi couldn't crack is one that's already held by a Star Wars. The all-time biggest opening in the U.S. belongs to The Force Awakens ($248 million), the 2015 release that launched the latest trilogy and delivered Disney's first post-George Lucas vision of the Star Wars universe.
The opening numbers for The Last Jedi also give Disney its third consecutive $2 billion-plus year. NBD, right?
Now we'll wait and see what kind of staying power The Last Jedi has. The Force Awakens ran in theaters from Dec. 18, 2015 until late May 2016, amassing a domestic total of $936.7 million during its U.S. theatrical run. Will The Last Jedi even come close to that? We'll have to wait and see.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
