DIS Walt Disney Co

By Erich Schwartzel 

Walt Disney Co.'s "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" hit blockbuster status with light speed at the box office this weekend, collecting an estimated $155 million in the U.S. and Canada.

The movie's haul is the second-largest ever for a December opening, bested only by last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which broke nearly every record when it made its debut to $248 million in the domestic market, where it eventually grossed $937 million.

No analyst expected "Rogue One" to top its "Star Wars" predecessor, since it is a spinoff that explores other characters in the franchise universe beyond the core trio of Luke, Leia and Han Solo. "Rogue One," the first spinoff produced by Disney since it bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, follows a band of rebel fighters who play a key role leading up to the events of the original 1977 "Star Wars."

The movie's domestic showing was on the high-end of analyst expectations, and school vacations and the holiday season should give it several solid weekends to come. Audiences gave the movie an "A" grade, according to the CinemaScore market research firm.

Critics' reviews have been mixed, and the movie is considerably darker than most "Star Wars" installments. About 75% of the "Rogue One" moviegoers this weekend were adults.

Internationally, "Rogue One" grossed an additional $135.5 million opening in about 70% of the overseas market. That was a bit below expectations, which pegged a world-wide gross exceeding $300 million. The U.K. led the way with $21 million, followed by Germany and Australia with $12.5 million and $10.8 million, respectively.

The only major Asia market showing "Rogue One" so far is Japan, where the movie grossed $7.9 million. The movie will begin screening in South Korea on Dec. 28, followed by China on Jan. 6. Interest in China is expected to be boosted by the casting of Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen, whose performance as a blind rebel fighter has emerged as a standout of the movie.

As with every blockbuster opening weekend, "Rogue One's" performance boosted the bottom line for firms across the exhibition industry. Audiences were willing to pay top dollar for IMAX Corp. screens, delivered $19 million in domestic grosses, and premium large format auditoriums operated by exhibitors, which collected $17.9 million of the weekend total.

Die-hard "Star Wars" fans have watched Disney's handling of the franchise closely, and several who attended the "Rogue One" premiere in Los Angeles earlier this month said the spinoff met their high expectations.

"They could make 'Star Wars' movies from here to eternity," said Karl Gehring, an art director from Houston who traveled to California for the premiere. "Quite frankly, I hope they do."

Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 18, 2016 13:09 ET (18:09 GMT)

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