In the final installment of the Skywalker saga, Disney's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker finally hit the $1 billion mark globally. The latest Star Wars film has racked up a total of $481 million at the domestic box office and $519 internationally as of Tuesday, Jan. 15. The sci-fi flick has officially joined the likes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) as grossing billion-dollar brethren.
However, while this is an extremely prestigious accomplishment and milestone for any major motion picture, it did take this particular film significantly longer to hit the billion-dollar mark than its affiliates. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker surpassed the billion-dollar mark in a total of twenty-eight days while The Force Awakens took a total of twelve and The Last Jedi took nineteen.
While the J.J. Abrams-directed film was extremely lucrative, the reception from the cult-classic's purist fanbase has been lackluster, despite being nominated for multiple Academy Awards. The Rise of Skywalker was the first film out of the new era of Star Wars films not to receive an 'A' from CinemaScore moviegoers and critics.
With The Rise of Skywalker wrapping up the nine-film Skywalker saga, it remains a mystery where Disney is going to take the Star Wars franchise. This latest film capped off a record-setting seven $1 billion releases for the entertainment company, logging a total of $11.12 billion made at the global box office in 2019.
With Mulan, Black Widow, and The Eternals set to release at the front end of the year for Disney, do you think the Walt Disney-built brand can uphold their successful streak? Check out the introduction of Babu Frik in this newly-released extended scene in the video provided below.