Box Office Weekend: Solo: A Star Wars Story Debuts on Top

That’s what industry insiders are wondering after the opening weekend box office numbers of Solo: A Star Wars Story came in well below estimates in its much-hyped debut.

“Solo” pulled in $101 million domestically over its four-day weekend, making it the smallest “Star Wars” related opening since 2002 for “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones”, CNN reported. This four-day number is even substantially lower than all previous Disney joints, with Rogue One taking in $155M, The Force Awakens taking in $248M, and The Last Jedi taking in $220M in their respective three-day opening weekends. The movie is tracking to make around $101 million in the United States and Canada over this Memorial Day long weekend, according to Entertainment Weekly. “Solo” is another attempt at that, but it made $35.6 million on Friday, about half of what “Rogue One” brought in on its opening day. Aside from fans reeling at the idea of watching anyone other than Harrison Ford play Han Solo, there was also turmoil behind the scenes, with original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller being replaced with Ron Howard months into shooting.

Fatigue or not, Disney has pushed forward on “Solo”, despite production issues. Fox’s Deadpool 2 finished in second with a strong $42.7 million in its second weekend, and Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War finished third with $16.5 million in the F-S-S period, padding its five-week haul of $621.7 million. Solo also stars Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany, Woody Harrelson, Joonas Suotamo, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Jon Favreau. The movie reveals how Han obtained his iconic blaster AND the Millennium Falcon, and also shows his first meetings with Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian.

That is, unfortunately, where much of the enjoyment in Solo: A Star Wars Story rests, fleetingly and with the understanding that it could all be swept aside at a moment’s notice for the sake of something with which we’re already familiar. In five weeks, its domestic tally has topped $626 million, while globally it has made $1.9 billion.

That may sound like a lot, but it’s a particularly disappointing outcome for a film set in the Star Wars universe.

While Ehrenreich revealed he’s contracted for two Solo sequels, the fate of any future Han Solo movies appears precarious given the lacklustre box office.

Tonally and structurally, the film feels more like a throwback to A New Hope or Empire Strikes Back.

“Star Wars is still a gold standard brand for movie franchises”, said Dergarabedian. Star Wars is no longer on the fan pedestal. The film stars Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson with Andy Garcia and Don Johnson. Book Club was written and directed by Bill Holderman. Where available, the latest worldwide numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included.