Unless You Count Pre-Sales
A report from IGN and Box Office Pro suggests that the opening weekend numbers for Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker could be the lowest of the entire new trilogy. The movie is projected to snag between $185-$225 million, which falls below the opening numbers of the previous two films.
On the other hand, there’s a conflicting report out there which puts Rise of Skywalker at #2 in all-time pre-sales, coming in just behind Avengers: Endgame. In fact, a quick Google dive indicates that these pre-sales are either a sign of success, or an outright lie. Disney has used pre-sales numbers as a marketing tactic before, according to various YouTube critics. Really, the only accurate metric will be the actual opening weekend sales figures.
Actually, depending on the sources you look up, Rise of Skywalker is number one in pre-sales figures, blasting by Endgame in something like an hour. It’s quite possible that this will be the lowest-performing Star Wars film in years. It’s also possible that Disney is an all-powerful hydra whose howling heads reach the ears of every living being on Earth. The point is I’m definitely bowing to their whispering discordant symphony, and seeing this movie in theaters.