LOS ANGELES: The force was not with “Solo: A Star Wars Story” at the box office.
The latest installment struggled over the Memorial Day weekend, securing $103 million in 4,381 North American locations over the four-days, according to Monday estimates. It came in way under projections, opening with $84.7 million over three days, and just $148 million globally.
“Solo” represents the lowest opening for a “Star Wars” film since Disney took over the franchise starting with 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” As the first film in the sequel trilogy, “The Force Awakens” launched with a massive $248 million three-day total. A year later, “Rogue One” debuted with $155 million, while the most recent installment prior to “Solo” — “The Last Jedi” — bowed just five months ago in December 2017 with $220 million.
“Solo” did help land the best domestic Memorial Day weekend since 2014 when “X-Men: Days of Future Past” was the top film. However, it wasn’t enough to land the highest Memorial Day opening. That title still belongs to “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” which debuted with $139.8 million in 2007.
The second standalone “Star Wars” anthology film has received mixed reviews. It currently holds an A- CinemaScore, along with a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Deadpool 2” slid to No. 2, where it made $55 million from 4,349 screens over four-days. That brings its domestic total up to $219 million.
In third is another heroic blockbuster, “Avengers: Infinity War.” The Marvel and Disney title’s scored $21.2 million in 3,768 locations. In five weeks, its domestic tally has topped $626 million, while globally it has made $1.9 billion.
