‘Rogue One’ passes $300M on black day for ‘Star Wars’
This file photo taken on December 16, 2015, shows US actress Carrie Fisher (right) posing with a storm trooper as she attends the opening of the European Premiere of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in central London. A family spokesman said on December 27, 2016, that Fisher, the iconic actress who portrayed Princess Leia in the Star Wars series, died Tuesday following a massive heart attack last week. She was 60. AFP
WASHINGTON, United States — “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” passed $300 million at the domestic box office Tuesday, a milestone overshadowed by the death of the space saga’s iconic lead actress Carrie Fisher.
It was a second straight weekend of domination in North America for the first of three one-off “anthology” stories in Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars” universe, according to industry data released Tuesday.
The eighth “Star Wars” movie raked in $96.1 million over the extended Friday-to-Monday Christmas weekend, box office monitor Exhibitor Relations said, bringing its total receipts to $318 million.
But celebrations were canceled out by news that 60-year-old Fisher, who played the rebel heroine Princess Leia, had died in Los Angeles following a heart attack on a transatlantic flight four days earlier.
A general view of the atmosphere during The World Premiere of Lucasfilm’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, In Hollywood, California, on December 10, 2016. AFP
“Such devastating news. I never met Carrie, but consistently heard how profoundly sharp and witty she was. Her maverick spirit will be missed by us all,” “Rogue One” star Felicity Jones said in a statement to the entertainment website Deadline.
Article continues after this advertisement“She was Princess Leia to the world but a very special friend to all of us. She had an indomitable spirit, incredible wit, and a loving heart,” said Lucasfilm president and “Rogue One” producer Kathleen Kennedy.
Article continues after this advertisementA slew of new movies opened in the United States and Canada over the Christmas holiday weekend.
“Sing,” an animated musical comedy featuring the voices of several A-listers including Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, burst into second place with $56.1 million.
The third spot went to “Passengers,” a sci-fi fantasy starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, who play two space travelers jolted from hibernation on a deep-space mission. It pulled in $23.1 million.
Claiming fourth spot was “Why Him?” a comedy about a dad feuding with his daughter’s boyfriend, which opened with $15.5 million.
“Assassin’s Creed,” based on the hugely successful video game franchise of the same name, took fifth with $14.8 million.
That means “Moana,” a computer-animated musical fantasy about a brave Polynesian teenager, slipped to sixth place from number two, pulling in another $12.6 million.
The film had previously topped the box office for three weekends and has now grossed $185.6 million to date.
At number seven was Denzel Washington’s “Fences,” with $11.6 million, while Oscar frontrunner “La La Land” pulled in $9.2 million for eighth place on the third weekend of a limited release that is about to expand nationwide.
The seasonal comedy “Office Christmas Party” dropped six places to number nine, with a haul of $7 million, for a total of $44.1 million during its three-weekend run.
Rounding out the top ten was “Collateral Beauty,” a sentimental drama featuring Will Smith. It managed to pull in $6.4 million. CBB
