![star wars the rise of skywalker](https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dfcfa45855cc2759505d103-2238/screen shot 2019-12-20 at 113731 am.png)
Disney/Lucasfilm
"Star Wars: The Ride of Skywalker."
- "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" brought in $40 million at its Thursday preview screenings.
- That's the fifth best performance of all time.
- The movie is projected to earn between $175 million and $200 million this weekend.
- $4
It's looking like it will be a big weekend for "Star Wars" at the box office, despite the bad reviews, if Thursday night's haul is any indication.
Disney reported on Friday that "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" brought in $40 million in its Thursday preview screenings.
That's the fifth best figure all time for preview figures, knocking "Avengers: Infinity War" down a peg (It had a $39 million Thursday take when it opened in 2018). The Marvel movie went on to have a $258 million opening weekend.
But it's not all good news for Disney. The $40 million figure is down from the start "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" had in 2017. The Rian Johnson-directed title earned $4 in its Thursday previews and went on to have a $4. Industry projections have "The Rise of Skywalker" opening between $4. That's a huge opening for any franchise other than "Star Wars."
"The Rise of Skywalker" currently has a $4 on Rotten Tomatoes, but that likely will not keep audiences from going to see it this weekend - especially with fans wanting to see the conclusion of the Skywalker saga. The audience reaction for the movie on RT is already at 85% (voted by close to 8,500 verified accounts).
Internationally, the movie has brought in $59.1 million its first two days. But in China, "Star Wars" is still a dud. It is $4 this weekend at the box office.