Phil Roberts 
Lucasfilm hits another home run with Episode VIII
With the release of the eighth instalment of the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm, had hoped to dominate the box office once again just as they did with both Rogue One, in 2016 and The Force Awakens, in 2015.
Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi had everything going for it. Fan expectation, the long-awaited return of Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, and John Williams’ sublime eighth soundtrack in the series, and fans all over the world couldn’t wait to crowd into auditoriums to catch it.
Climbing aboard the Millennium Falcon once again, the fans were treated to a stunning space adventure in the galaxy far, far away and they responded in kind by propelling The Last Jedi to a whopping box office return of $450 million dollars worldwide.
Akin to that of it predecessor, The Last Jedi also followed J.J Abrams’ The Force Awakens into the second biggest Thursday and Friday single-day grosses of all time guaranteeing a colossal success for parent company, Disney. Although Rian Johnson’s stunning sequel seems to be dividing audiences, the box office return alone symbolises another runaway hit for the franchise.
Whether it has enough steam to rival The Force Awakens’ prolonged haul, remains to be seen but one thing is undeniable, the Star Wars franchise is here to stay, and with Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, just five short months away there is plenty for us to get our teeth into.
May The Force Be With You
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
