The box office numbers for the second Friday of Star Wars: The Last Jedi are in and they paint a bleak picture for the Rian Johnson-directed sequel. Down 77 percent from its opening day last Friday, the picture continues to distinguish itself as the worst holding film in the Star Wars franchise's entire nine-film history.
From its opening day gross of $104.7 million, The Last Jedi cratered by a full $80 million, taking in $24.6 million a week later, on its second Friday.
The biggest prior Friday-to-Friday decline was that of Rogue One: A Star Wars story, at a comparatively robust 68 percent. The three previous films before that, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, all saw declines in the mid-50's percentage range. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Episode III: The Phantom Menace, and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, all saw far more modest declines in the 20-30 percent range, and the first film, Episode IV: A New Hope, actually increased by nearly 80 percent in its second weekend as the franchise exploded into being (hence the negative 79 percent "decline" shown on the chart below. I should note also that I don't have access to daily box numbers for episodes IV and V, so I substituted their full weekend numbers in the chart).
A few quibbles about the comparisons between films are warranted, as some of the pictures—including The Last Jedi—have Thursday evening preview numbers included in their opening Friday results, making the second Friday a tough comp. And some of the other pictures opened on Wednesdays or Thursdays, so their first Friday-to-second Friday comparisons aren't quite apples-to-apples with The Last Jedi.
But even after adjusting for such differences, The Last Jedi still manages to live up to its title, sitting in last place as the Star Wars picture least capable of holding its audience. Or perhaps more pointedly, in failing to bring moviegoers back for multiple viewings. As Miles Bailey, a formerly fervent fan of the Star Wars films told me, “Disney shouldn’t bank on the hardcore, cosplay, convention crew like myself seeing this film 6, 7, 8, 9 times. Episode 8: The Last Jedi set out to kill everything about episodes 1-7 and succeeded. I’m not excited by Solo or episode 9. Star Wars is done for me.”
With reactions like that, Disney (NYSE:DIS) will need to re-think its strategy for future installments if it hopes to retain a meaningful share of its potential Star Wars audience. As things are going now, The Last Jedi is drifting further away from The Force Awakens' numbers and closer to a Rogue One sized lifetime gross, a result that would be truly catastrophic given the opportunity lost for the new film and its potential impact on the franchise's future prospects.
Read More: 'Last Jedi' Grosses Are Collapsing With The Worst Daily Holds Of All 9 Star Wars Movies
