'Rogue One' early box office estimates have cleared the planet

UPDATE, 7 p.m. Pacific: Estimates have ticked up, with new returns showing that Rogue One will make $70 million on Friday, on its way to a $145 million weekend or more.

Previously ...

Rogue One is standing by at the North American box office -- and though it won't do anything close to The Force Awakens numbers this weekend, early returns indicate that the Force is strong with the galaxy's first Star Wars spinoff.

According to early estimates shared with Mashable, Rogue One is taking in $60 million for its Thursday late shows and Friday totals, well on its way to a $135 million to $140 million start.

The Force Awakens did $60 million in its Thursday late shows alone, and went on to a record-shattering $250 million weekend around this time last year.

Worldwide, Disney's second dip into the Lucasfilm well was expected to soar past $300 million in gross receipts. That alone should cover the production cost of Rogue One -- the first standalone Star Wars "story," many of which Disney/Lucasfilm intend to weave in with its core saga films for years to come.

Though $140 million domestic is indeed a strong start, it isn't anywhere near the top-opening films of 2016, Captain America: Civil War ($179 million) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($166 million). It should, however, pass Finding Dory ($135 million) for the No. 3. spot.