Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker might have done well for a blockbuster, but the film touted to be the culmination of the Skywalker saga didn't do as well as originally expected.
According to a report by Forbes,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opened to only $175.5 million at the domestic box office – the lowest opening among all the entries in Disney's sequel trilogy. Star Wars: The Force Awakens revived the franchise with a whopping $248 million opening in the US when the film premiered in 2015. Two years after that, Lucasfilm released Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a follow-up that is pretty well for a middle film in a trilogy, earning $220 million at the domestic box office.
Of course, $175.5 million isn't a bad haul. Other franchises like Fantastic Beasts and Jurassic World would be thrilled to earn that kind of number during an opening weekend. However, $175.5 million is still a whole lot less than what industry analysts expect from a Star Wars movie.
The Force Awakens was expected to rake in more than $200 million during its opening weekend. Not only does the film have the power of being the final film in Disney's Star Wars sequel trilogy, but it also has the power of being the final film in the Skywalker saga. Where did Episode IX go wrong?
For one, the film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, sitting at a 58% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film isn't doing any better on Meta Critic either with a score of 54.
Audiences seem to be on the film's side though. The Rise of Skywalker's been enjoying an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and there have been fans who've been raving about the film online.
Let's hope that fan-support will help power the film through as it continues its theatrical run.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently screening in cinemas.
Read: New Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Lightsabers Spotted in Disney's Galaxy's Edge
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Star Wars: Episode IX