'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' is already making big money at the box office, despite lousy reviews

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.
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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 $45 million in its Thursday previews and went on to have a $220 million opening weekend. Industry projections have "The Rise of Skywalker" opening between $175 million and $200 million. That's a huge opening for any franchise other than "Star Wars."

"The Rise of Skywalker" currently has a 58% critical rating 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 currently trailing behind three local-language titles this weekend at the box office.

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