Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Expected To Have Worst Opening Weekend In New Trilogy

The big new Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker, opens in theatres around the world this weekend. It is expected to be a juggernaut at the box office, but just how much will the sci-fi epic pull in over its first weekend? According to The Hollywood Reporter, estimates show the movie is tracking to make between $175 million and $200 million for the first weekend in the US and Canada alone. That would make it the lowest-performing film of the new trilogy that began in 2015.

Disney's own estimates are lower, at $160 million. It's common for big film studios to be overly cautious with their estimates, for a variety of reasons.

A $200 million opening for The Rise of Skywalker would be less than the $220 million that The Last Jedi made over its first weekend in 2017 and below the $248 million that The Force Awakens pulled in when it hit theatres in 2015.

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Check out all the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Easter eggs you might have missed in the new movie!

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The final weeks of December are historically the biggest of the year for box office ticket sales, as people generally have more free time thanks to the holidays to spend on leisure activities like a trip to the local cinema.

Global estimates for The Rise of Skywalker are not available at this point. Also unknown is what impact, if any, the relatively low review scores for the film will have on box office results.

The Rise of Skywalker did not scare off all the competition at the box office, as Universal is releasing its wacky and weird Cats movie on December 20 as well. It's expected to make as much as $17 million over its first weekend, according to the box office estimates. The Rise of Skywalker's bigger competitor is likely Jumanji: The Next Level, which enters its second weekend after a strong $59.3 million opening weekend.

For more on The Rise of Skywalker, check out GameSpot's review: Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise Of Skywalker Review - A Galactic Disappointment.

Read next: Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker - 48 Easter Egg From Past Movies