Star Wars: The Last Jediis off and running at the box office, and while the high-water mark ofThe Force Awakensis an incredibly tough bar to clear, it appears as thoughThe Last Jediwill do its best to at least come close to the record-setting performance ofJ.J. Abrams’ sequel.The Last Jedipulled in an estimated $45 million in Thursday night preview showings, which is the second-highest domestic preview gross of all time behindThe Force Awakens, which hit $57 million in previews. IMAX previews were even closer, asThe Last Jedihit $5.3 million versusThe Force Awakens’ IMAX record of $5.37 million.
No doubt the positive reviews bode well forThe Last Jedi’s subsequent performance, and indeed that’s what propelledThe Force Awakensto its sky-high records. Abrams’ film hit $247.9 million on opening weekend and $936.6 million in total domestic gross, both of which remain unsurpassed.
How highThe Last Jediflies this weekend is unclear. Sequels to massive IP films that open a couple of years after the previous film can sometimes fall a bit short of how the first film did at the box office, since the initial movie has the benefit of a “look-in” audience as folks want to see for themselves if they’re interested in this brand new thing. Analysts haveThe Last Jedi’s opening weekend pegged at around $200 million. It could secure the #2 spot on the all-time chart if it bestsJurassic World’s $208 million opening, so no doubt all eyes will be on those Friday estimates tomorrow morning.
Internationally the film is also off to a terrific start, having grossed $60.8 million after beginning its international rollout on December 13th. Stay tuned, folks, it’s gonna be a busy weekend. For now, take a look at the current Top 10 opening weekends of all time below.
1.Star Wars: The Force Awakens- $247,966,675
2.Jurassic World- $208,806,270
3.Marvel’s The Avengers- $207,438,708
4.Avengers: Age of Ultron- $191,271,109
5.Captain America: Civil War- $179,139,142
6.Beauty and the Beast (2017)- $174,750,616
7.Iron Man 3- $174,144,585
8.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2- $169,189,427
9.Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice- $166,007,347
10.The Dark Knight Rises- $160,887,295
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