Home Entertainment Disney isn’t expecting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to make billions at the box office

Disney isn’t expecting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to make billions at the box office

2 min read
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Slightly-less-rich

When Disney bought the rights to Star Wars a few years back, people balked at the $4 billion price tag that George Lucas demanded for his empire. Balked…to the max. But Disney had the capital, Lucas had had enough of the internet and a license to print money was born. To say that Star Wars: The Force Awakens made some money at the box office is a bit of an understatement, along the same lines as Neville Chamberlain declaring “peace in our time”.

With a global box office of over $2 billion, the Force was back and in charge with the seventh core episode of the Star Wars saga. Nostalgia is a powerful thing hey. And then there’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It doesn’t have the star power of the episodic Star Wars films, but it does have something else going for it: A fresh new approach. The interquel details just how the Rebel Alliance got their hands on the Death Star plans, and it has a totally different tone from the looks of things.

Rogue One (2)

And that’s great! But it’s probably not going to make as much money at the box office as The Force Awakens did. And Disney is well aware of that. At a presentation at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia event  via Variety, Disney Chief Bob Iger spoke about the future of the Star Wars franchise and how Rogue One presents a different take on the saga. Still, financial expectations for it to succeed aren’t that high:

It’s really interesting in terms of ‘Star Wars’ storytelling. ‘Star Wars’ has only been told as a saga, and this is a moment in time … we love what we’ve seen. We never felt it would do the level that ‘Force Awakens’ did, [even though] the level of interest is as high as it was for ‘Force Awakens.

Fair enough. If I had to take an educated guesstimate, I’d bank on Rogue One making between $400-$600 million worldwide after a few weeks at the box office. Although honestly, any movie with Donnie Yen as a cosmic Jedi believer kicking stormtrooper ass across the galaxy deserves to earn a lot more than that. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!

Last Updated: September 22, 2016

54 Comments

  1. So far it sounds WAY more interesting than the “episodic” movies.

    Reply

    • miaau

      September 22, 2016 at 13:56

      yes. AND many Bothans died to bring us this information

      Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    September 22, 2016 at 11:10

    I love the idea of a Star Wars war movie.

    Reply

    • Dungeon of JJ

      September 22, 2016 at 11:11

      As apposed to a Star Wars family drama 😛

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        September 22, 2016 at 11:41

        Yes. And Star Wars trade negotiations. And Star Wars daddy issues. And Star Wars forbidden love. 😛

        Reply

        • Dungeon of JJ

          September 22, 2016 at 11:42

          Hahaha

          Reply

        • Raptor Rants

          September 22, 2016 at 14:31

          And Midichlorian herpes

          Reply

      • Darren Peach

        September 22, 2016 at 11:57

        Imagine a Star Wars family drama in the same vein as Shameless ?

        Reply

  3. Dungeon of JJ

    September 22, 2016 at 11:12

    I think the word guesstimate needs to die a slow and painful death.

    Reply

    • ??????? ????? ™

      September 22, 2016 at 11:14

      ^^^^^^^^

      Reply

  4. Ghost In The Rift

    September 22, 2016 at 11:14

    Don’t underestimate the power of nerds. The force is strong with them, and their wallets.

    Reply

    • Dungeon of JJ

      September 22, 2016 at 11:15

      I didn’t watch The Force Awakens at the cinema, but this I might actually.

      Reply

      • miaau

        September 22, 2016 at 11:18

        I watched it. I had a blue slushy, which was cool. I am, however, not supposed to have sugar in my diet, cause Insulin problems…….

        BUT I had a BLUE slushy. IT WAS AWESOME.

        Reply

        • ??????? ????? ™

          September 22, 2016 at 11:24

          Seems like the sugar is STILL IN YOUR SYSTEM

          Reply

          • miaau

            September 22, 2016 at 11:45

            No. If it was I would be all sloooooowwwwww and tiiiiiiirrrred.

            too much insulin is produced, thus lowering the blood sugar

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            September 22, 2016 at 11:46

            There’s an obvious rejoinder to that. 😀

          • miaau

            September 22, 2016 at 11:47

            Not to me there is not……..

            I do not get it.

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          September 22, 2016 at 11:39

          Blue slushy aren’t awesome. They’re smurftacular.

          Reply

    • miaau

      September 22, 2016 at 11:17

      I watched Force Awakens at the cinema. First movie in years. My pregnant and grumpy wife sent me off to watch it, while she watched the toddler alone, something she was struggling with at that point in time (ill from pregnancy complication).

      It was that important to her, that I watch, sort of thing.

      Reply

      • Original Heretic

        September 22, 2016 at 11:45

        Heh, my buddy in Australia went to watch it with his HEAVILY pregnant wife. Special lounger seats and everything. Two days later their son was born. He waited JUST long enough for them to be able to watch it!

        Reply

        • ??????? ????? ™

          September 22, 2016 at 11:57

          Awesome!

          Reply

  5. Jac7

    September 22, 2016 at 11:26

    It’s easily going to top a billion. Spar Wors for the win!

    Reply

    • ??????? ????? ™

      September 22, 2016 at 11:31

      SPAR WORS LOLZ

      Reply

  6. Original Heretic

    September 22, 2016 at 11:45

    I’ll so watch this on the big screen. Disney tends to do well with movies.

    Reply

    • miaau

      September 22, 2016 at 11:47

      1973, robin hood cartoon. How awesome if that movie? Was it made by Disney? Not sure.

      But, man, what an awesome movie.

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        September 22, 2016 at 11:50

        I have a sneaky suspicion that the Robin Hood LP might still be hidden in a cupboard somewhere at home, along with the Jungle Book.

        Reply

        • Raptor Rants

          September 22, 2016 at 14:56

          Loved that movie!!!!

          Reply

        • Johann

          September 23, 2016 at 01:37

          Awesome movie, still have the VHS tape

          Reply

      • Original Heretic

        September 22, 2016 at 12:04

        Loved that old movie!

        SINGING!

        Robin Hood and Little John, walking through the forest
        Laughing back and forth at what the other one has to say
        Reminiscing this and that and having such a good time
        Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day

        Reply

        • ??????? ????? ™

          September 22, 2016 at 12:06

          Best
          Disney song
          EVERRRRRRRR

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            September 22, 2016 at 12:08

            Gonna have it in my head all day now and I aint even mad about that.

          • ??????? ????? ™

            September 22, 2016 at 12:09

            Agreed OO DE LALLY

  7. Darren Peach

    September 22, 2016 at 11:55

    Best thing to happen to the Star Wars franchise, Lucas sold it and we get more films. Worst thing to happen to the Star Wars franchise, Disney…………………………………………

    Reply

    • Dungeon of JJ

      September 22, 2016 at 11:56

      So far….I agree. And don’t forget that the other bad thing to happen to Star Wars is EA.

      Reply

      • Darren Peach

        September 22, 2016 at 11:56

        LOL.

        Reply

    • Original Heretic

      September 22, 2016 at 12:06

      Agree with the Lucas thing. Still reserving my opinion on whether or not the Disney thing is bad.
      My biggest concern is oversaturation of SW movies. But if they’re all top notch, then that won’t be bad.

      Reply

      • Dungeon of JJ

        September 22, 2016 at 12:09

        The storytelling so far has just been typical Disney stuff…generic mainstream predictability.

        Reply

        • Original Heretic

          September 22, 2016 at 12:35

          But fun to watch.

          I mean, even looking at the original trilogy, there was no groundbreaking story arcs there. It was all pretty generic. Just well put together.

          Reply

          • Dungeon of JJ

            September 22, 2016 at 12:40

            Yea, Star Wars has always been more action movie in space than proper sci-fi, and that’s been the appeal.

          • Original Heretic

            September 22, 2016 at 12:45

            Didn’t Lucas say he was going for the “Soap opera in space” thing for the original movies.

            The evidence is all there!

            Long lost father who turns out to be the big bad guy.
            Brother kissing sister (but he didn’t KNOW! *gasp*)
            Roguish character who, though he tends to treat everyone badly most of the time, does just enough good for you to like him.
            Etc. etc.

          • Dungeon of JJ

            September 22, 2016 at 12:55

            Haha. It is.

      • Darren Peach

        September 22, 2016 at 13:24

        Disney is not bad, It just closes the door to a mature film. Imagine a Christopher Nolan take on Star Wars.

        Reply

        • Original Heretic

          September 22, 2016 at 13:29

          Not necessarily. Bear in mind, Touchstone pictures is a division of Disney and they do the more adult/mature movies.
          If they wanted to put a more adult spin on things, they’d release it under that label.

          Reply

          • Darren Peach

            September 22, 2016 at 13:30

            Fair point. Having said that, Star Wars is a goldmine and the wider the audience, the greater the profits.

          • Original Heretic

            September 22, 2016 at 13:31

          • Darren Peach

            September 22, 2016 at 13:36

            And if they are very desperate, they might actually cast ol Tom ( I still dig him )….

          • Original Heretic

            September 22, 2016 at 13:37

            We’ll be seeing him soon in The Mummy!

          • Original Heretic

            September 22, 2016 at 13:37

            Damn, you’ve actually got me thinking now. Iconic directors/producers, putting their spin on Star Wars.
            To name a few:
            Nolan (as you mentioned above)
            Tarantino (lightsabers? Chop ALL the limbs off!)
            Burton (or not, cause Depp would have to appear somewhere!)
            Ang Lee (after Life of Pi, just imagine the visuals!!)
            Darren Aronofsy (it’d be the weirdest movie ever!)
            Kubrick (dig him, reanimate him, let’s see what he can do!)

            To name but a few!

          • Darren Peach

            September 22, 2016 at 13:39

            How about a David Lynch Star Wars movie ?

          • Original Heretic

            September 22, 2016 at 13:45

            So many possibilities!

  8. Raptor Rants

    September 22, 2016 at 14:53

    DUUUN DUUUUUN DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUN DUUUUUUUUUN. DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUN DUUUUN. DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN

    Reply

  9. The Order of the Banana

    September 22, 2016 at 15:18

    You know what Disney… you could have at least given me a Rogue One Disney Infinity figure!

    Reply

  10. chimera_85

    September 22, 2016 at 15:51

    Then why the frak did they want them to change so much? It appears as if it was gonna be nice and dark…

    Reply

  11. Johann

    September 23, 2016 at 01:36

    Don’t understimate the Force…

    Reply

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