'The Last Jedi’ Now Opening To $216M-$220M: How Disney Continues To Win ‘Star Wars’ Franchise 

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‘The Last Jedi’ Now Opening To $216M-$220M: How Disney Continues To Win With The ‘Star Wars’ Franchise

earned its third straight A CinemaScore for the franchise since the Burbank, CA studio took ownership of Lucasfilm five years ago for $4.06 billion. Industry estimates are even higher this morning for Rian Johnson’s 

 now having earned $104M-$105M on Friday, easily the second best opening day after 

‘ $119M, and a three-day that’s between $216M-$220M, the second best ever behind 2015’s 

while 3D screens rep close to a third of the weekend. Per theater average for 

Rian Johnson & Ram Bergman Talk 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Deleted Scenes And Finding Light In The Dark Of Episode VIII

At that level it becomes too wild for box office analysts to pinpoint exactly where the

opening will finally land: When the grosses are this high, there’s a small sampling of statistical evidence to support projections. Given the momentum here, it’s conceivable that 

Still, anyone who thinks that there’s waning interest in 

or that sequelitis is in full force here with 

 (an organic and very good ease for a sequel) the movie is +42% over the opening of last December’s 

 ($155M). After the worst summer in 11 years, exhibitors have been praying for this type of overcrowding at multiplexes. Rival studios are green with envy. 

is in rare air: As many point to streaming services eroding the theatrical business, here’s 

the third title in two years to mint north of $200M. Proof that when the picture resonates in spectacle fashion, many will certainly leave their living rooms on a Friday night.

For those looking for a philosophical business explanation of what the 

signifies in the immediate wake of the Disney-Fox merger, it simply means that the pressure is on the new conglomerate to continue to raise the bar with the brands they own, film-by-film. Is quality traded in for quantity, especially if Disney-Fox plans to open 26 titles a year (which is the title count between the two studios for 2018)? Case in point, without spoiling anything, for those who’ve already seen

, they’re likely asking, “So, what’s next?” It’s up to J.J. Abrams to build that anticipation. Or does Disney break George Lucas’ original plan and go for 10 movies in the Skywalker saga or more? We already know that Johnson is planning a brand-new trilogy and there’s a number of spinoffs based on the classic characters in the works.

Granted, rival studios will have a tough time in the face of the Disney-Fox merger finding dates on the calendar and landing the best release dates with exhibition. In addition, as we wrote following the merger, Disney-Fox will have the leverage to determine pricing across several distribution channels including TV deals, merchandising and ad spots (given the amount of product).  One distribution chief isn’t daunted by the Disney-Fox merger brand supply line: “There’s still room for other studios to thrive theatrically. This merger won’t hurt them. Other studios are in trouble because of their own bad decisions about movies, not because of Disney-Fox.”

Also opening this weekend is a movie from the studio that Disney acquired yesterday in a $66 billion deal: 20th Century Fox. They have a Blue Studios animated movie 

with a movie skewing to the much younger kids two years ago, 

they’re doing so again with an eye on the long term results of the Christmas holiday season. 

kicked up $3.6M on Friday with an eye at a $12.3M weekend off a solid A CinemaScore. As Disney absorbs 20th Century Fox further into its fold over the next two years, it will be interesting to see if they’d ever counterprogram against one of their event movies again; or let a big giant like a 

(despite any cynical legacy fans griping out there) and critics too at 93% Rotten Tomatoes certified fresh. This how Disney works: They make sure that their event films appeal to both masses and critics alike. This isn’t a DC 

situation where estimates start high then drop greatly. Since we first reported weekend projections for

on Friday morning, the numbers continue to swell. Last night, 

earned the second best preview night ever with $45M, ranking behind 

Deadline Thursday Night Exclusive: Last Jedi Posts $45M Preview

“They called me,” Johnson told us at the premiere about landing the 

, “I did not ever think I would get one of these.” While there was news about Lucasfilm’s rocky relationship with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller on the Han Solo origins movie; that they didn’t like their sense of improvisation with the actors, Johnson told Deadline’s Joe Utichi that he didn’t have any hangups or fights while shooting 

: He got to make the film he wanted to make, and Disney corporate adored his sensibility. “I always recognized that he had this eclectic, strong sense of storytelling, but what I didn’t know is how well he moved the camera and he is a beautiful cinematic filmmaker,” Lucasfilm boss and 

producer Kathleen Kennedy told us as to why she handpicked Johnson. “I was tapping back into when I was a kid watching 

, and what I responded to, because I think that’s the well that the water is in. If I was trying to intellectually study the sources Lucas drew from, and do what I think he would do, that’s a dry well,” Johnson tells Utichi about his inspirations. The 

episode filmmaker handed his draft in 14 months in advance which enabled him and his longtime producer Ram Bergman and DP Yedlin to have a smooth production despite its scale, getting all the shots that they wanted with a top-notch team that included an Oscar-winning crew including production designer Rick Heinrichs and VFX supervisor Ben Morris.

movies aren’t tested. Much of that has to do with keeping a tight lid on security in a social media age: You don’t want spoilers getting out of control on the internet (even though they already do).

“Literally this is the first time I’m testing the movie,” said Johnson at the Hollywood premiere.

“My whole life since I’ve been making movies, testing has been such a miserable process; why do we have to do it? Then when we weren’t allowed to do it, suddenly it’s like ‘can’t we put this in front of 300 people?’ But it’s the difference between ten trusted people and 300 strangers. The truth is you don’t know until you know. You do your best, show it to certain people to get their opinions, and trust your gut.”

“It’s a strong think tank, a brain trust and a lot of instinct, but it’s really frightening at the same time,” said Kennedy about the test-free quality control process for 

movies. What’s a good sign that the film is working, especially when it’s in an early stage of VFX? Humor. As Marvel boss Kevin Feige has said about his movies; the sense of laughter emanating from a small assembly of creative consultants and friends is a solid indicator that these mega blockbusters are working. Anecdotally, some fans are already extolling 

Deadline’s Coverage of ‘Last Jedi’ World Premiere

Disney largely prefers not to overlap the marketing/trailers of its 

movies on top of each other. More specifically to date, you won’t find a spinoff 

title trailering on a Skywalker episode movie. Disney didn’t trailer

fans won’t be confused by how the titles relate to each another, Disney doesn’t want to confuse any casual moviegoers; they’re extremely essential when earning openings of this magnitude. (All of this said, it will be interesting to see when they drop 

given that’s only five months away. Super Bowl?). As such, Disney dropped the first trailer and teaser poster in April during

panel at Star Wars Celebration, four months after

opened. The trailer clocked in 91M views in its first 24 hours. The trailer would later appear before 

skipped San Diego Comic-Con, they stopped by Disney’s fan con D23 instead with a behind-the-scenes featurette; a mini-doc that followed Johnson and his team, and the actors around on the set. It’s a great visual package that Disney started with

Then there was a new trailer dropped during ABC’s 

 timed to advance tickets going on-sale. That was propped by ESPN synergy stunt and multiplatform cross-company tune-in, which garnered 120M+ views in the first 24 hours. Earlier that day Johnson debuted a one sheet in Twitter’s premiere episode of #WhatsHappening live show. There was also a Thanksgiving Surround and Black 

 Ticket Push with major hits on broadcast (NFL programming and Macy’s Day Parade) and digital (Buzzfeed, Roblox, Bustle, Vevo, IMDB, Fandango, Flixster), plus 8- and 5-day countdown stunts. 

Speaking of advance ticket sales, industry sources (not Disney’s) estimate that 

advance ticket sales. That movie, fueled by a number of Christmas Day purchases, earned $100M by its opening day two years ago. This would put 

 II on Sept. 1, when Disney drops all the new 

toys and merchandise in 20K stores in 30 countries, including Disney, Best Buy, Apple, Kohl’s, Petco.

A “BB-8 global press tour” kicked off in November with 18 appearances/locations including an appearance by the cast (Dec. 1 with Rian Johnson, Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Laura Dern, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, and Oscar Isaac) on 

appearances as early as the last week of November with Hamill and Ridley. There was a Mercedes Benz Japan event, a Prime Minister of Canada screening, and world and European premieres. One great stunt: Hamill dropped by 

Disneyland’s Star Tours ride refresh on Nov. 16 and surprised park visitors. There’s also a Galactic Nights special event on Saturday at Disney World, in regards to Disney further leveraging 

VR experience developed for HTC Vive and Samsung Gear rolled out to roughly 30 markets around the world spanning hundreds of retail stores, mall exhibits, cinema lobbies and other special events. In the VR stunt, fans took the role of an astromechanic technician aboard General Leia’s ship, interacting with and repairing BB8 and his droid friends. 

Digital partners included Google, Skype, Tumblr, Facebook, Snapchat lens sponsored by Verizon, and a #ReyDey Twitter stunt with Fooji. Major promo partners included Nissan, General Mills, Verizon, Phillips Norelco, Vizio, Christian Louboutin. The latter shoe designer created 

four main shoes inspired by characters from 

: the Resistance’s Amilyn Holdo, mechanic Rose Tico, the First Order’s Captain Phasma, and scavenger-turned-Jedi-hopeful Rey. The shoes were on display at the Hollywood world premiere last Saturday and then auctioned off to benefit Starlight Children’s Foundation on behalf of non-profit 

Remarking on how Disney integrates its promotional partners with its 

marketing, social media monitor RelishMix says, “the film’s campaign is powered by Disney’s exceptional social reach, and allows them to share social materials with hundreds of millions of followers consistently throughout the year.” The Nissan clip which advertises their new technology with a driver who looks like Rey and passenger who appears as Luke as clocked in 3.4M views. 

‘s social media universe across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube views and Twitter is weighed at 820.5M, and that doesn’t include any materials from previous 

‘s (858M SMU) level by opening, Relish Mix expects “Jedi’s growth rate to exceed both of those titles.” Viral rate for passing around videos is quite high at 57:1 while the average event film is around 20:1. Ridley is mostly unplugged from social with the exception of her official FB which has 902K followers, but Hamill has been a big tubthumper to his 5M across FB, Twitter and Instagram, as well as Boyega to his 2.9M.

(DIS), 4,232 theaters / $104M-$105M Fri (includes $45M previews)/3-day cume: $216-220M/Wk 1

(FOX), 3,621 theaters / $3.6M Fri (includes $350k previews)/3-day cume: $12.3M/Wk 1

(DIS), 3,155 theaters (-593) / Fri: $2.23M / 3-day cume: $9.2M(-50%)/Total: $150M / Wk 4

 (Lionsgate), 3,047 theaters (-472) /$1.48M Fri /3-day cume: $5M (-40%)/ Total: $108.8M/Wk 5

 (WB), 2,702 theaters (-806)/$1M Fri /  3-day cume: $3.9M  (-60%)/Total: $219.2M/ Wk 5

 (PAR), 2,493 theaters (-770) /$911K Fri / 3-day cume: $3.3M (-44%)/ Total: $96.1M/Wk 6

(DIS), 1,895 theaters (-1,152) / $769K Fri/ 3-day cume: $2.82M (-55%) / Total cume: $306.1M / Wk 7

(A24), 1,010  theaters (+170) / $749K Fri/3-day cume: $2.43M (-62%)/Total: $12.7M/Wk 3

 (FOX), 1,923 theaters (-1,116)/  $669K Fri / 3-day cume: $2.29M (-56%)/Total: $97.1M/ Wk 6

(A24), 947 theaters (-610) /$548K Fri /3-day cume: $1.9M (-44%)/ Total cume: $25.8M / Wk 7

(FSL), 158 theaters (+117) / $490K Fri /3-day cume: $1.5M (+35%) /PTA: $9,4k /Total: $3.4M/Wk 3

(FSL), 944 theaters (-676) / $416K  Fri / 3-day cume: $1.4M (-50%) /Total: $21.1M /Wk 6

(BG), 1,840 theaters (-321)/ $315K Fri/3-day cume: $1M (-68%)/Total: $5.5M/Wk 2

(FOC), 84 theaters (+31)/ $212K Fri /3-day cume: $730K (-2%) /PTA: $8,7K/ Total: $2.2M/ Wk 4

(SPC), 30 theaters (+21)/ $149K Fri/3-day cume: $517k (+81%) /PTA: $17,2K /Total: $2M/Wk 4

(NEON), 5 theaters (+1) / $41k Fri/PTA: $27,8k/3-day cume: $139k (-47%)/Total: $516K/Wk 2

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'The Last Jedi' Now Opening To $216M-$220M: How Disney Continues To Win With The 'Star Wars' Franchise

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