Solo: A Star Wars Story has made $196.1 million in the US thus far, which places it at #5 on the box office charts for 2018. It made an additional $147.1 million overseas, enough for a global total of $343.2 million.
It's also one of the biggest bombs of the year.
Well, at least by Star Wars standards. Each new adventure in a galaxy far, far away almost always make an absurd amount of money, more than most films ever dream of making. They break records, they dominate the box office charts, and they become the talk of America for several weeks. They are blockbusters, in the most literal possible sense of the word. That's just what these films do. Solo did not do that. After a production plagued by issues and a ballooning budget, the film was completely overshadowed by big superheroes movies and muted buzz. And as a result, there are going to be some consequences for how Lucasfilm does business.
Earlier today, Collider reported that Lucasfilm is re-thinking its current strategy, opting to scrap previously planned standalone movies in favor of focusing on Episode IX and the new trilogies in development with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson and Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. At different points in time over the last few months, Lucasfilm had Star Wars stories focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett in development, as well as potential sequels to Solo. While the latter follow-ups were obviously destined for the scrap heap in the wake of that film's disappointing box office performance, news on the first two projects had been swirling in recent weeks. A potential Ewan McGregor-led Kenobi solo project has been an object of fan desire for a long time now, while Logan director James Mangold was reported to be signed on for the Boba Fett film as recently as last month. Both movies now appear to be delayed indefinitely, if not canceled entirely.
If I'm being honest, I don't know how I feel about this news. As someone who liked Solo more than the previous Star Wars Story (2016's Rogue One), I'm a little disappointed that we won't be seeing more adventures in this corner of the universe. The idea of Mangold making a Star Wars Western was seriously enticing, as was the return of McGregor to the role of Obi-Wan. Plus, the inclusion of a certain character at the end of Solo promised big things for that franchise going forward. So to be honest, I'm a little sad that the book is shut on this chapter of Star Wars.
But at the same time, Lucasfilm's lack of direction for these films has been shocking, and it's clear that Kathleen Kennedy and the brain trust at the studio didn't really know what they wanted from the spin-offs. It's probably a smarter move to focus mainly on J.J. Abrams' Episode IX, and then hand the series over to Rian Johnson and the Game of Thrones bros, proven filmmakers with a track record of epic blockbuster success. Look for more on the Star Wars franchise as it continues.
Star Wars: Episode IX will arrive in theaters on December 20, 2019.
Images: Lucasfilm/IMDb
It's also one of the biggest bombs of the year.
Well, at least by Star Wars standards. Each new adventure in a galaxy far, far away almost always make an absurd amount of money, more than most films ever dream of making. They break records, they dominate the box office charts, and they become the talk of America for several weeks. They are blockbusters, in the most literal possible sense of the word. That's just what these films do. Solo did not do that. After a production plagued by issues and a ballooning budget, the film was completely overshadowed by big superheroes movies and muted buzz. And as a result, there are going to be some consequences for how Lucasfilm does business.
Earlier today, Collider reported that Lucasfilm is re-thinking its current strategy, opting to scrap previously planned standalone movies in favor of focusing on Episode IX and the new trilogies in development with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson and Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. At different points in time over the last few months, Lucasfilm had Star Wars stories focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett in development, as well as potential sequels to Solo. While the latter follow-ups were obviously destined for the scrap heap in the wake of that film's disappointing box office performance, news on the first two projects had been swirling in recent weeks. A potential Ewan McGregor-led Kenobi solo project has been an object of fan desire for a long time now, while Logan director James Mangold was reported to be signed on for the Boba Fett film as recently as last month. Both movies now appear to be delayed indefinitely, if not canceled entirely.
If I'm being honest, I don't know how I feel about this news. As someone who liked Solo more than the previous Star Wars Story (2016's Rogue One), I'm a little disappointed that we won't be seeing more adventures in this corner of the universe. The idea of Mangold making a Star Wars Western was seriously enticing, as was the return of McGregor to the role of Obi-Wan. Plus, the inclusion of a certain character at the end of Solo promised big things for that franchise going forward. So to be honest, I'm a little sad that the book is shut on this chapter of Star Wars.
But at the same time, Lucasfilm's lack of direction for these films has been shocking, and it's clear that Kathleen Kennedy and the brain trust at the studio didn't really know what they wanted from the spin-offs. It's probably a smarter move to focus mainly on J.J. Abrams' Episode IX, and then hand the series over to Rian Johnson and the Game of Thrones bros, proven filmmakers with a track record of epic blockbuster success. Look for more on the Star Wars franchise as it continues.
Star Wars: Episode IX will arrive in theaters on December 20, 2019.
Images: Lucasfilm/IMDb
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