The Rise Of Skywalker Struggling To Match Box Office Success Of Previous Star Wars Films

Episode IX hasn't taken as much at the UK and Ireland box office in its first two weeks of release as the two previous instalments.
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The Rise Of Skywalker is struggling to match the success of previous Star Wars films at the UK and Ireland box office.

The film has taken over a third less than 2015′s The Force Awakens in its first two weeks of release.

Episode IX has taken £39.4m since its debut just before Christmas, compared to the £65.9m Episode VII took over the same period.

Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Rise Of Skywalker
Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Rise Of Skywalker
Disney

2017’s The Last Jedi made £50.7m in its first two weeks and ended up taking £84.1m.

The Force Awakens went on to become the most successful film of all time in the UK and Ireland, taking a colossal £130.8m.

The Rise Of Skywalker’s box office struggle comes as the film was met with a lukewarm response from fans and critics.

Many have complained it did too much to redress issues some fans held with The Last Jedi.

Director JJ Abrams recently addressed the criticism, telling Vanity Fair: “We knew starting this that any decision we made – a design decision, a musical decision, a narrative decision – would please someone and infuriate someone else. There is an MO of either ‘It’s exactly as I see it, or you’re my enemy’.

The Rise Of Skywalker director JJ Abrams
The Rise Of Skywalker director JJ Abrams
ASSOCIATED PRESS

“It’s a crazy thing that there’s such a norm that seems to be void of nuance and compassion – and this is not just about Star Wars, this is about everything.”

The Rise Of Skywalker is the fifth film of its kind in as many years, following The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), plus spin-offs Rogue One (2016) and Solo (2018).

But Skywalker has already done well enough to overtake the total amount taken at the box office by Solo (£19.4m).

PA

And it has now outperformed two of the original Star Wars films: 1983’s Return Of The Jedi (£14.7m) and 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back (£31.4m).

Even if The Rise Of Skywalker ends up taking as much as £60m or £70m, it would still fall short of being the biggest film of 2019.

That honour currently belongs to Avengers: Endgame, which has taken a hefty £88.7m in the UK and Ireland.

Box office figures for all of the Star Wars films were compiled for the PA news agency by the British Film Institute, and have been adjusted for inflation.

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