Losangeles, AP/UNB, Dec 21 – Plenty of force was with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” on its first night in theatres, but it fell short of the two previous films in the trilogy.“The Rise of Skywalker” brought in an estimated $40 million in North America in its Thursday night previews, the fifth-biggest Thursday opening ever.
The first film, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” earned $57 million its Thursday night previews in 2015, at the time the biggest of all time. It was topped by the $60 million take of “Avengers: Endgame” earlier this year.
The second film in the trilogy, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” had a $45 million tally on its opening Thursday night in 2017.
“The Rise of Skywalker,” with “The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams back at the helm after Rian Johnson-directed “The Last Jedi,” didn’t appear to be affected by bad critic reviews. The film scored just 58% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes compared to 98% for “The Last Jedi,” but its fan score is 85%.
The third film stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and Carrie Fisher and is expected to bring in $200 million by the end of the weekend.
