‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ On Track To Hit $1.3 Billion Today

'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' is finally on the track to hitting the $1.3 billion mark today after about a month and a half since it first opened.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is on track to clearing the $1.3 billion mark today.

Upon it’s release on December 15, 2017, The Last Jedi opened as the second-highest opening weekend film of all time with a $220 million haul. It is only bested by its predecessor, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film continued strongly for a second weekend but was dethroned by Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on its third week.

Since then, the box office numbers have continued to slump, making the original projection of a $1.7 billion run seem more and more unlikely as time has gone on. The film’s initial release saw stellar reviews from critics but much of the fan base was not as unified in its consensus. Within the fan base, there is an ongoing debate as to whether or not the film was the best in the franchise since Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back or belongs in the same camp as the reviled Prequel Trilogy. Some have speculated that the polarized reception has been a factor into the film’s tallies.

The real answer for the slow haul, however, seems to have more to do with the foreign box office – specifically China. Over the past decade, the Chinese audience has been a major focus for studio executives and is quickly becoming one of the most valued sources of income in the film industry. The Last Jedi, however, only opened in China to a small $28 million haul, quickly causing it to be pulled from theaters across the country and undoubtedly has contributed to the film’s slow rise to its current box office numbers.

However, the film still stands as the highest grossing film of 2017. And with it’s numbers finally hitting the $1.3 billion mark, that is not likely to change. It remains the second-highest grossing installment of the Star Wars franchise, the sixth all-time domestic film and the ninth worldwide.

Here is the synopsis for the film:

“In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.”

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the film stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Frank Oz and Benicio del Toro.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in theaters now.

Source: Box Office Mojo