That question was answered to the tune of more than $155 million in ticket sales in U.S. theaters alone, and more than $290 million worldwide — an impressive haul indeed.
The Star Wars standalone film about a ragtag team of rebels tasked with stealing the plans to the first Death Star finished the weekend with the third-best opening weekend of the year (after Captain America: Civil War and Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice) and the 12th biggest opening weekend of all time domestically. Fittingly, Rogue One also ended up having the second-biggest premiere of all time for films opening in the month of December, topped only by last year’s Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.
The buzz surrounding Rogue One was just as positive from a critical perspective, too. Director Gareth Edwards’ film currently enjoys an 84-percent “Fresh” rating on professional review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as well as an “A” grade on Cinema Score, which is based on general audience polling. Both assessments bode well for the film’s longevity, but any Star Wars movie underperforming in theaters would be a surprise at this point.
| # | Title | Weekend | U.S. Total | Worldwide Total |
| 1. | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | $155M | $155M | $290M |
| 2. | Moana | $11.6M | $161.8M | $280.2M |
| 3. | Office Christmas Party | $8.4M | $31.5M | $51.3M |
| 4. | Collateral Beauty | $7M | $7M | $11.6M |
| 5. | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | $5M | $207.6M | $717.4M |
| 6. | Manchester by the Sea | $4.1M | $14M | $14.5M |
| 7. | La La Land | $4M | $5.2M | $16.5M |
| 8. | Arrival | $2.7M | $86.4M | $135.5M |
| 9. | Doctor Strange | $2M | $226M | $652.8M |
| 10. | Nocturnal Animals | $1.3M | $8.8M | $20.2M |
As for the rest of the weekend’s top ten films, the only other new release was Will Smith’s drama Collateral Beauty, which underperformed significantly in its first weekend in theaters. The film’s $7 million opening was the worst debut for any of Smith’s movies that received a wide release, falling well below the $10.5 million that 2015’s Concussion earned for its opening weekend.
A pair of Academy Award favorites occupied the sixth and seventh spots in the weekend’s top ten movies, with Manchester by the Sea and La La Land both expanding to more theaters and doing relatively well as they’re exposed to a larger audience.
This upcoming week is a big one for major releases, with multiple high-profile films vying to win the holiday weekend. First and foremost among the new movies is the sci-fi film Passengers with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence playing a pair of characters who wake up aboard a massive starship and face the prospect of having to live out their entire lives with each other.
Also premiering this week is Assassin’s Creed, based on the video game series of the same name and stars two-time Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. The animated musical feature Sing also made its debut. Boston bombing drama Patriots Day and brooding fantasy A Monster Calls also hit theaters this week, as well as Martin Scorsese’s Silence and the comedy Why Him?
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