Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker finally arrived in cinemas over the December 20-22 weekend, and as expected it opened to #1 at the box office. The ninth film in the Skywalker saga, and fifth Star Wars film released under Disney, had a huge opening weekend–albeit not as huge as one might expect, performing well below The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
The Rise of Skywalker opened to $175.5 million domestically, while also pulling in $198 million internationally for a global total of $373.5 million. For reference, The Force Awakens opened to $247,966,675 domestically in its first weekend, and The Last Jedi made $220,009,584. Both managed global opening weekends well above The Rise of Skywalker’s total too.
This is not necessarily a disappointing result, though–it’s the third best December opening weekend of all time, and above Disney’s own conservative $160 million prediction. It also opened well above Rogue One ($155,081,681) and Solo ($84,420,489.) But a $175.5 weekend is also on the lower end of industry predictions. The mixed reviews likely did not help; GameSpot gave the film a 4/10, calling it “a galactic disappointment.”
It’s too early to tell if The Rise of Skywalker will become Disney’s eighth 2019 film to cross the $1 billion mark globally. Christmas Day often sees huge cinema attendance, and the film’s performance this week will give us a better idea of how high it might ultimately rise.
Speaking of disappointments, Cats bombed in its opening weekend, openingto $6.5 million on 3,380 screens. For a film opening on over 300 screens, that’s the 18th worst performance ever; the reviews, which suggested that the film is a nightmare, likely didn’t help. Cats carries a budget of $95 million, and is unlikely to recoup production costs. The version of Cats in cinemas reportedly features various clear visual errors, with a new print being shipped to cinemas in the wake of reports like the one below.
This isn’t a joke: CATS was rushed into theaters before being finished so a new version is being sent to theaters with updated effects. How do you know if you have the old version? Look for Judi Dench’s human hand, wedding ring and all. pic.twitter.com/VDUOevePU9
— Jenelle Riley (@jenelleriley) December 22, 2019
Holdovers Jumanji: The Next Level and Frozen 2 performed well, while Bombshell, starring Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbie, is struggling as it expands wide.
Here’s the domestic top 10 for the weekend of December 20-22. The full charts are available at Box Office Mojo.
- Star Wars: Episode XI – The Rise of Skywalker: $175,500,000
- Jumanji: The Next Level: $26,125,000
- Frozen II: $12,300,000
- Cats: $6,500,000
- Knives Out: $6,125,000
- Bombshell: $5,075,000
- Richard Jewell: $2,565,000
- Queen & Slim: $1,850,000
- Black Christmas: $1,800,000
- Ford v Ferrari: $1,800,000
Source: Gamespot Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Rules The Weekend Box Office, But Opens Below Previous Films