'Rogue One' set to rule holiday box office: New holiday 'Star Wars' tradition?
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
鈥淩ogue One鈥� looks to be the latest 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� movie to be a force at the box office over the December holiday season, a trend the franchise may carry through next year with at least one more 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� film set to be released at the end of the year.聽
鈥淩ogue One,鈥� which was released on Dec. 16, stars Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, a young woman who is brought on board a mission to obtain the plans for the Death Star. The film co-stars Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, and Donnie Yen.
The film came in at No. 1 in its opening weekend and looks to continue to win out over competition like the video game adaptation 鈥淎ssassin鈥檚 Creed鈥� and the science fiction film 鈥淧assengers,鈥� which stars Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence and has received poor reviews.聽
On Dec. 22, 鈥淩ogue One鈥� took in the most at the box office, grossing more than $16 million, while films like 鈥淐reed鈥� and 鈥淧assengers,鈥� which opened on Dec. 21, brought in $2.5 million and $3 million, respectively. The animated movie 鈥淪ing鈥� did better, grossing $9 million.
The box office is an echo of last year鈥檚, when the film 鈥淪tar Wars: The Force Awakens,鈥� which was the first new 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� movie in 10 years, was the winner, also becoming the highest-grossing film domestically in history without adjusting for inflation. And earlier this year, Disney, which releases the 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� films, changed the release date for the next 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� installment, moving it from the spring of 2017 to the holiday season.
With this release plan, 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� may briefly become the emperor of the holiday season, dominating December like the 鈥淗unger Games鈥� movies, for example, ruled over the Thanksgiving season for years. The last three films in that series became a major presence at the box office in the Novembers of 2013, 2014, and 2015.聽
This 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� pattern may take a brief break, as the final movie in the current trilogy, casually referred to as 鈥淓pisode 9,鈥� is scheduled for May 2019. However, if 鈥淩ogue One鈥� continues on its strong path, Disney will likely turn to the holiday season when it comes to future movies, either 鈥渟pin-off鈥� films like 鈥淩ogue鈥� or movies in the main chronology.
