I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is, “yes. THE FORCE AWAKENS was still playing in some theaters!” However, it has just officially ended its box office run, bringing home $936 million in domestic sales alone. $4 billion seemed like a hefty price tag for Disney to acquire Lucafilm, but you take this into account (plus merchandise sales) and you might imagine that everyone’s feeling pretty good over there about their investment. Despite the massive domestic haul, which was $160 million above AVATAR, it wasn’t enough to take the worldwide crown. Alas, FORCE AWAKENS sits at the number 3 spot, right behind James Cameron’s epics, TITANIC and AVATAR.
The question remains: Will subsequent STAR WARS films be able to rake in as much as or possible more than THE FORCE AWAKENS? I can’t speak for ROGUE ONE, especially with all the reshoot talk and confusion over “another Death Star”, but something tells me the hype machine is only beginning when it comes to Rey, Finn and Poe. Plus, I hear Luke Skywalker actually has dialogue in the following chapter!
The next chapter in the main saga, STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII, will open in theaters on December 15, 2017.