Disney looks to be ending 2017 on a high note. The company is projected to cross the $6 billion global box office threshold by the end of the day, nudged over the line by the success of Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The latest Star Wars movie ended up falling short of its predecessor, The Force Awakens, at its opening weekend box office, but make no mistake: The Last Jedi printed money.
The Last Jedi debuted on Dec. 15. Since then, it has raked in over $600 million globally. When Disney passes the $6 billion mark this year, that will make it the company’s second most profitable year, right behind 2016 when it made $7.6 billion. Disney also ended up bringing in a very respectable $5.8 billion in 2015. Disney is the only studio ever to make over $5 billion in a year, for three consecutive years.
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So, how did the company get here? Aside from The Last Jedi, Disney released a slew of popular titles over 2017, chief among them being the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, Beauty and the Beast brought in roughly $1.2 billion total. According to Deadline, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story made $309 million of its $1.05 billion in this calendar year. Moana is another 2016 movie with a similar story, netting $252 million of its $643.3 million take in 2017.
Chances are good the The Last Jedi will push Disney over that $6 billion earned hump, as the Christmas movie rush has only just begun. Unfortunately, Disney won’t be able to count on one of the biggest moviegoing markets in its yearly calculations, as The Last Jedi doesn’t open in China until Jan. 5, 2018. Domestic earning for The Force Awakens dwarfed China’s back in 2015, but the country still contributed $124 million to the film’s overall take.
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In theaters now, Star Wars: The Last Jedi stars Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Benicio Del Toro as ‘DJ’, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, and the late Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa.