Today’s the day when we find out if the Force is with The Last Jedi, as it opens in its last territory China. We think it should gross somewhere between $80 – $105 million but a stronger than expected opening could propel the film higher in the worldwide all-time rankings; it’s currently in 18th place behind Skyfall (as of end of day Tuesday).
China is the last major market to release The Last Jedi, three weeks after its bow in the U.S. and other major territories. Globally, the movie is now the 19th-biggest moneymaker of all time, with a worldwide total of $1.09 billion to the end of Tuesday. Its performance in China will determine how much further up the rankings it goes, and how close it gets to the $2.07 billion haul two years ago of The Force Awakens.
Disney, the leading Hollywood studio in China last year, has pulled out the marketing stops for The Last Jedi in the Middle Kingdom, mindful that the Star Wars franchise doesn’t quite inspire the same event-movie awe there as it does elsewhere. The Force Awakens earned $124 million in China; spinoff movie Rogue One, which featured Chinese stars Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen in significant roles, took $69.5 million.
We’ll be watching with great interest.
