'Rogue One' is aiming for a record-breaking box-office opening
The franchise's first standalone movie, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," opens in select international regions on Wednesday and nationwide in the US on Friday, and it's looking to be a big earner for Disney's run to collecting a record $7 billion at the global box office in 2016.
The movie is projected to make close to $150 million domestically its opening weekend and over $300 million globally, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Disney is still keeping expectations low, saying that it doesn't expect the movie, in which a group of Rebels seek out the plans of the Death Star, to come close to the record-breaking box office of last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which included a $248 million domestic opening.
If "Rogue One" comes anywhere near its projections, it will easily become the second-highest opening of all time for December after "Force Awakens" (currently in second place is "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" with $84.6 million).
It's kind of hard to see that not happening with the movie opening in over 4,100 theaters in North America, including 400 IMAX screens and over 500 large-format screens.
"Rogue One" will open in France, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Indonesia, Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Finland, and Turkey on Wednesday. On Thursday it opens in the U.K., Germany, Australia, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Italy, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Argentina, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan. The film will not open in China until early January.