The eighth episode in the Star Wars saga powered its way to a $220 million domestic debut, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which jump-started the main franchise in 2015 after a decade of dormancy, had a North American opening of $247.9 million. Last year’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” a one-shot spinoff from the main saga, grossed $1.05 billion globally. Thanks to “Last Jedi,” Disney now owns seven of the eight biggest domestic debuts ever. “If you’re [Kennedy], you say: ‘Let him do his thing.’ ”The only Star Wars film that Disney does not own full distribution to is the 1977 original, “Star Wars: A New Hope,” which was distributed by Fox.

Source: Washington Post December 17, 2017 20:19 UTC