Woke ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Lagging at Box Office

Initial box office figures from ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ suggest the third installment in the legacy franchise’s sequel trilogy is primed for a disappointing run in theaters.

Rise of Skywalker lagged well behind its two predecessors in the sequel trilogy, ‘The Last Jedi‘ and ‘The Force Awakens.’ The film brought in $48 million on Saturday a day after its theater release, paling in comparison to figures of the previous two films. The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens brought in $64 and $68 million respectively.

The film is slated to underperform industry projections of its net box office take, bringing in $14 million less than the $193 million Disney projected it would bring in over its opening weekend.

The movie will still prove to be incredibly profitable and will easily recoup its $300 million budget, probably ensuring the franchise’s corporate masters will continue to churn out a near-endless stream of Star Wars content. But the lackluster opening suggests audiences may be tiring of what some perceive as Disney’s hyper-monetization of the franchise.

The film has been met with mediocre reviews, with many critics and Star Wars fans panning what they see as a lack a creativity. The film’s less-than-remarkable release all but ensures the franchise’s controversial sequel trilogy will be mostly forgotten within years, lacking the widespread appeal of George Lucas’ original trilogy and the similarly divisive prequel trilogy.

An actor from the spinoff TV show ‘The Mandalorian’ made waves by openly criticizing the film, surprising some to see a Star Wars actor bashing a Star Wars movie.

If ‘Rise of Skywalker’ has anything of value to offer to viewers, perhaps it’s insight for fans who need to realize that they should stake their personal identity on something more than an outer space film franchise.