Solo: A Star Wars Story is falling way short of Box office projections, but what are the primary reasons for such a great film struggling to make the big bucks?
Solo: A Star Wars Story was predicted by Box office “experts” to shatter the Memorial Day holiday record, and earn around $170 million domestically in the first weekend of its release and as much $600 million before it’s all said and done.
I don’t know where those laser brains got their delusions, but their predictions were way off, with the Han Solo Star Wars standalone film generating $84.8 million opening weekend and $148.3 million collectively in domestic earnings. Thus far.
The decline at the Box office continues for Solo: A Star Wars Story, where it’s expected to make around $29 million in its second week.
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Why is Solo: A Star Wars Story falling way short of estimates? That’s a loaded question and one with a number of variables.
First off, the fallout from Star Wars: The Last Jedi is leaving a portion of the fanbase reeling.
I’m not talking about the salty fanboys who are crying about everything Disney is doing (we’ll get to them in a minute) but the Star Wars faithful who legitimately did not like the film.
Now, they have no interest in seeing a story that many of the fans did not want, one with a younger version of Han Solo.
Harrison Ford and only Ford is Han Solo to many, who are unwilling to give Alden Ehrenreich shot, even though he knocks it out of the park.
Speaking of the toxic portion of the Star Wars fanbase; many of them are “boycotting” Solo: A Star Wars Story. If you hop on YouTube and listen to the leaders of this new cult, I mean sect of Star Wars fandom, they take full credit for the Han Solo origins bombing. In reality, they are just one reason for Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s poor Box office results.
The release date was also a terrible idea, for a few reasons. Releasing a Star Wars film six months after the previous one didn’t give fans time to take a breath.
December would have been a wise choice, instead. Why try to fix something that is not broken? December is now owned by Star Wars, and Disney/Lucasfilm misfired on that decision of a May debut for Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Promotion for the film was also non-existent until right before the movie, which affected sales from the fans who fly casual with Star Wars. Dropping a 30-60 second trailer during Star Wars: The Last Jedi would have planted the seed in December and sparked interest in the idea of a Han Solo origins story.
It’s unfortunate that Solo: A Star Wars Story is falling way behind expectations at the Box office; it’s such a great movie, and I wish more people would see it in all of its glory.
But, where do we go from here with the Star Wars “Story” films? Will this affect the future releases of the reported Boba Fett and Obi-Wan movies?
I doubt it, especially if production has started on those particular films. But, Disney/Lucasfilm could cancel the Rian Johnson trilogy and other standalone ideas due to Solo: A Star Wars Story’s “failures.”
Disney/Lucasfilm would be wise to release an Obi-Wan or a Knights of the Old Republic era movie; something Star Wars fans really want to see. Oh, and do so in December instead of May, would you?
Next: Solo Easter eggs bind the galaxy together
Solo: A Star Wars Story is playing in theaters, worldwide.