Rogue One' Rakes In $155 Million at North American Theaters -- Update
December 18 2016 - 2:52PM
Dow Jones News
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 were more mixed than on "The Force Awakens,"
and the movie is considerably darker than most Star Wars
installments.
About 75% of the "Rogue One" moviegoers this weekend were
adults, similar to the audience demographics on "The Force
Awakens." The studio saw ticket sales increase through the weekend
to a greater degree than for "The Force Awakens," which was heavily
front-loaded with moviegoers at Thursday and Friday showings, said
Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice president for distribution.
That suggests repeat viewings and solid word-of-mouth, said Mr.
Hollis.
By releasing stand-alone "Star Wars" films alongside
installments of the "Skywalker saga," Disney hopes to pull in new
fans coming to the series for the first time, said Mr. Hollis.
"You can create a way in for the uninitiated," he said. The
studio will be diving into exit poll data later this week to
determine how many new Star Wars viewers went to see "Rogue One"
this weekend.
Disney expects overseas audiences to be drawn to the film's
diverse cast and extended action sequences, said Mr. Hollis.
Internationally, "Rogue One" grossed an additional $135.5 million
opening in about 70% of the overseas market. That was a bit below
analyst expectations of a world-wide gross exceeding $300
million.
The only major Asian 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, the world's second-largest box-office market, 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, which delivered $19 million in domestic grosses, and for
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."
The weekend's only other new wide release, "Collateral Beauty,"
grossed a disappointing $7 million. The movie, starring Will Smith
as a grieving father, was released by Time Warner Inc.'s Warner
Bros.
In other box-office news, "The Great Wall," starring Matt Damon
as a European soldier who helps fight monsters trying to breach the
Great Wall of China, performed solidly in its China debut with
$67.4 million for the weekend.
That's on par with the China opening of "Warcraft," which went
on to collect $220 million in the market. The movie's backers,
which include Legendary Entertainment and China Film Group, were
looking to China for blockbuster grosses ahead of a U.S. opening on
Feb. 17.
Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 18, 2016 14:37 ET (19:37 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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