It appears to be a make or break situation for Disney and Lucasfilm with “Star Wars: Episode 9.” The franchise was supposed to be a big hit after the success of “The Force Awakens.” However, after the backlash with “The Last Jedi” and the Box Office failure of “Solo,” the franchise may find itself in deep trouble if the next film bombs.

It was unimaginable to think just a few years ago that the stakes would be so high for “Star Wars: Episode 9.” A report by Forbes suggested that the film is seen as a bit of an “underdog” compared to movies like “Avengers: Endgame” and “The Lion King,” both of which are expected to be huge hits.

Despite the “underdog” status, the upcoming “Star Wars” film is set to be the biggest moneymaker in the next holiday season. No matter whether the film makes all its money back or most of the money back, the competition from “Jumanji 3” and “Cats” is not expected come anywhere near the numbers that the JJ Abrams' film will make.

With Abrams back at the helm, expectations are huge for “Star Wars: Episode 9.” A report by Screen Rant noted that this may be the biggest year yet for the franchise. One thing the upcoming film has going for it is time. There will be a long gap of about 19 months since the release of “The Last Jedi” by the time the next movies is released. Add to this the fact that this is the last film in the new trilogy that is expected to complete the story by answering all the questions that have been raised. There is bound to be enough interest in movie goers to head into the theaters.

The upcoming film is not expected to set a new record in Box Office collection, but it is expected to surpass the $620.1 million that “The Last Jedi” made. “The Force Awakens” made $936.7 million, which will be a tough number to beat.

There is a lot of optimism about “Star Wars: Episode 9,” as it appears in all the lists of the most highly anticipated movies of 2019. In the list compiled by IGN, the film appears last. The report notes that Abrams will have to consider whether he will give a fresh take to old stories or take a fresh approach.

“Star Wars: Episode 9” will be released on Dec. 20 in the U.S.

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