YIKES

‘Rise of Skywalker’ Wanes in Opening Weekend, ‘Cats’ Bombs

The Skywalker finale brought in $175.5 million in box office sales, dragging behind the last two Star Wars films that surpassed the $200 million mark.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brought in $175.5 million in box office sales domestically and $374 worldwide, ultimately not living up to the precedent set by other films in the Star Wars series. J.J. Abrams’ Skywalker finale garnered the worst reviews compared to any other Star Wars movie except for Phantom Menace, which debuted in 1999. The Rise of Skywalker was given a 57 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ grade from audiences on CinemaScore. Analysts had predicted the film to bring in around $200 million and Disney estimated the film could reach about $165 million. Last of the Jedi opened in 2017 with $220 million, while The Force Awakens debuted in 2015 with $248 million. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s $100 million production Cats, however, bombed its opening weekend with just $6.5 million in ticket sales. The musical, which has been jeered and mocked for its questionable “digital fur technology,” has been hit with catastrophic reviews across the board.