The Han Solo-centric movie Solo: A Star Wars Story opens in theatres this weekend. It is tracking to make anywhere from $130 million to $150 million domestically over Memorial Day weekend, making it the lowest opening for a Disney-produced Star Wars films, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
There are several reasons why one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars franchise will not open as large nor possibly make as much as its predecessors.
Unlike the previous Disney films, Solo (2018) opens during the summer blockbuster season. The Force Awakens (2015), Rogue One (2016) and The Last Jedi (2017) all opened in December to not much competition. In order of release, their opening weekend domestic gross in millions were The Force Awakens ($248), Rogue One ($155) and The Last Jedi ($220), according to Box Office Mojo.
Solo: A Star Wars Story does have a threat though despite no other movie daring to share a nation-wide release with it, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Avengers: Infinity War is still in theatres but the true opponent to the newest Star Wars film is Deadpool 2.
Deadpool 2 opened domestically last weekend to $125.5 million and will probably make at least $40 million next weekend, stealing viewers away from Han Solo. Some people will choose to see Deadpool 2 again or for the first time rather than watch a Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Another influence is that Solo: A Star Wars Story does not have as much critical support as previous films. The percentage of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for previous films are 93% (The Force Awakens), 85% (Rogue One) and 91% (The Last Jedi). Solo only has 70% which is even less than the 79% for Revenge of the Sith. This relatively low percentage can make people less interested in seeing the movie when it first opens.
Also, the film has been plagued with behind-the-scenes drama. The movie’s original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were replaced by Ron Howard due to creative differences. This issue increased the concerns of fans, especially those who aren’t really interested in a Han Solo movie.
It’s almost unbelievable that this movie has been successfully made. The odds are not in the favor of Solo to beat the opening of Rogue One but did Disney ever expect that to happen? Doubtfully!
Also, two weeks later, Pixar’s The Incredibles 2 opens which will minimize the total gross of Solo. At this point, it is very certain that Solo will have the lowest opening of Disney’s Star Wars films. Though will it have the lowest domestic gross as well? It probably will.
However, don’t forget to never tell Han Solo the odds. Maybe Solo will be a surprise and be shocking box office hit, even for Star Wars standards. May the Force be with this movie!
