The final film in the epic "Star Wars" trilogy of trilogies brought Hollywood to a standstill, as a galaxy of VIPs from the space saga that began four decades ago descended on a glittering world premiere.
The final film in the epic "Star Wars" trilogy of trilogies brought Hollywood to a standstill, as a galaxy of VIPs from the space saga that began four decades ago descended on a glittering world premiere. AFPTV / Romain RAYNALDY

The domestic box office looks to end the decade with a bang after the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” The ninth main entry in the venerated space opera franchise easily cinched the top spot at the North American box office with $175.5 million. This was the third-biggest opening weekend of 2019, behind other Disney releases “Avengers: Endgame” ($357.1M) and “The Lion King” ($191.7M).

While solidly within studio projections and miles ahead of all competitors, the opening for “Rise of Skywalker” still represented a notable decline from past Disney-era “Star Wars” releases. In 2015, “The Force Awakens” busted the all-time opening weekend record with $258 million, while in 2017, “The Last Jedi” notched the second highest with $220 million. The first Disney “Star Wars” entry to release with a “Rotten” rating (57% positive) on Rotten Tomatoes, it is possible that reviews might have cooled the hype for the end of the “Skywalker Saga” to some degree.

Elsewhere this weekend, scathingly negative press appears to have completely cratered Universal’s and director Tom Hooper’s Broadway musical adaptation, “Cats.” Based on one of the longest-running smash hits in theater history, “Cats” opened in 4th place with an abysmal $6.5 million against a $95 million budget. Public reception to the effects-driven spectacle had been harsh since the first trailer released earlier in the summer, and now an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes may have been the final nail in the film’s coffin.

The rest of the top five this weekend consisted of solid-performing older hold-outs. “Jumanji: The Next Level” settled into second with $26.1 million for a $312 million worldwide total. “Frozen II” continued to dominate in third with $12.3 million ($1.103 billion) worldwide, while “Knives Out” continued to rivet audiences in fifth with $6.1 million ($185.5 million worldwide).

Nationwide expansion offered little reward for the Fox News sexual harassment drama, “Bombshell.” The film opened in sixth with $5 million against a $32 million budget.

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