ENTERTAINMENT
End of the line for the current Star Wars franchise
December 18, 2019 - The final episode of Star Wars ends an epic nine-part space opera that began over 40 years ago, but can it live up to the hype or match the monumental box office haul of The Force Awakens?
Box Office Pro is predicting a U.S. domestic opening weekend of $200 million for the final entry in the Star Wars nonology, The Rise of Skywalker.
The ninth episode in the sprawling sci-fi saga comes out 42 years after the original movie, then simply entitled Star Wars, landed in theatres in 1977.
To date, three trailers have been released, giving fans glimpses of highly unexpected scenes. In several clips, Rey is seen battling Kylo Ren on the wreckage of the Death Star (destroyed in Return of the Jedi) – now protruding from an ocean moon named Kef Bir. In another emotionally charged scene, the droid C-3PO says he is “taking one last look… at my friends.” An ominous voice-over from the evil Emperor, aka Darth Sidious, implies that he was not killed at the end of episode VI after all, and is back for revenge.
The Rise of Skywalker is released in the U.S. on December 20, although many European countries will screen it from December 18.
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm/Disney)
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Box Office Mojo)
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (IMDb)
- Star Wars confirms location of Death Star wreckage seen in The Rise of Skywalker (Digital Spy)
- Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker is tracking for a huge opening, but lowest of new trilogy? (Cinema Blend)