Will the Ninth Instalment of Star Wars Surpass Endgame Records?

As Avengers: Endgame broke the Star Wars: The Force Awakens record for Thursday night previews ($60 million over $57 million), a slug fest of a boxing match seems to have ensued. As we’ve already covered on Celeb Network, Endgame has broken all sorts of records and is by far the most popular film of 2019. Yet, in true Rocky-like fashion, could Star Wars bounce back from the ropes and deal a devastating blow at the end of it all? 

As a quick side note, all the figures we use here are from US totals. For example, The Force Awakens earned over $2 billion in worldwide revenue, but we’ve chosen to stick with figures from just the US so we can compare equally. 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

As one of the most successful movie franchises of all time, Star Wars has grossed around $4.5 billion (including special editions, 3D films, and re-issues). Originally, the first three were the hits of the 70s and 80s. When it was decided that the franchise would be resurrected, some fans were concerned. Yet, in 1999, The Phantom Menace was released and earned $431 million in box office revenues. 

Once again, the same happened in the early 2010s when a third series of films was revealed. This time, the industry was prepared for what was to come as The Force Awakens grossed $936 million. Back in 2017, The Last Jedi entered cinemas around the world and become the highest-grossing film of the year. To earn the same title again, The Rise of Skywalker will need to rely on a passionate fan base. 

Although little is known about the film itself, we know that The Rise of Skywalker will see Rey, Finn, and Poe continue their journey as the First Order takes on the surviving Resistance. Much like the Avengers finale, we know that a huge battle will need to commence, and this has fans purring. 

Will It Succeed?

With the prefix of ‘Star Wars’, we’re almost certain The Rise of Skywalker will succeed. However, whether or not it will surpass Endgame is another question. On the one hand, Star Wars does have three generations of fans. Thanks to the season-like nature of Star Wars, fans from the 70s and 80s have been joined by Star Wars lovers from the 90s and 00s. Now, a new wave of enthusiasts exists. With a huge following around the world, this is one potential reason why it will break records. 

On the other, box office revenues actually dropped between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. From $936 million, The Last Jedi earned $620 million. Therefore, the marketing department have lots of work to do to get people excited and out spending their money in theatres around the globe. 

Set for release on December 19, will it be a happy Christmas for the team at Star Wars after a record-breaking first week, or will Avengers hold on for the 2019 crown?