The Force is getting ready to strike the global box office once again.
Disney and Lucasfilms' Star Wars: The Last Jedi begins opening in select foreign markets mid-week before blasting off in North America and other major territories on Friday. That excludes China, where the tentpole doesn't roll out until Jan. 5.
By all accounts, the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens should gross $425 million-plus by Sunday to secure one of the five best worldwide openings of all time, not accounting for inflation. That includes a North American take in the $200 million range, the best opening of the year so far and a feat few movies have achieved. All of Hollywood is counting on The Last Jedi to narrow the year-over-gap in domestic revenue, which is currently running roughly four percent behind last year's record $11.4 billion.
A major challenge for Disney is managing expectations so as to avoid the inevitable comparisons to director J.J. Abrams' Force Awakens, which racked in $247.9 million in December 2016, the top domestic opening of all time, on its way to becoming the No. 1 film of all time domestically with $936.7 million, not accounting for inflation. Disney says Force Awakens had the distinction of being the first Star Wars film in a decade.
Overseas, Force Awakens debuted to $281 million for a total $529 million, the second-biggest global opening of all time behind this year's The Fate of the Furious ($541.9 million), which had the advantage of launching day and date in China to a massive $184.9 million.
Last year, spinoff Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opened to $290.1 million globally, including $155.1 million domestically and $135 million internationally.
Directed by Rian Johnson, Last Jedi sports a running time of two and a half hours, compared to two hours and 16 minutes for Force Awakens.
Last Jedi — otherwise known as Episode VIII — reunites many of the new Star Wars actors introduced in Force Awakens, including Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, along with original stars Mark Hamill and the late Carrie Fisher, to whom the movie is dedicated. Franchise newcomers include Kelly Maria Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro.
The story picks up immediately after the events of Force Awakens, with Rey (Ridley) seeking out Luke (Hamill) to help the Resistance (led by Fisher's Leia) and its fight against the villainous Kylo Ren (Driver) and The First Order.
The only film daring to open opposite The Last Jedi is Ferdinand, an animated family offering from 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios that hopes to win over younger tots and their parents throughout the year-end holidays. (In a unexpected twist of fate, Ferdinand opens just as Disney prepares to announce its proposed acquisition of 20th Century).
Tracking suggests Ferdinand will open in the mid-teens to $20 million range. Directed by Carlos Saldanha, Ferdinand is based on the classic children's book about a peace-loving Spanish bull who would rather wile away the hours smelling flowers and daydreaming versus taking to the ring and fighting. The voice cast includes John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Anthony Anderson, Bobby Cannavale, Petyon Manning and Gina Rodriguez.
On Monday, Ferdinand nabbed Golden Globes nominations for best animated feature and best animated score.
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