Rogue One has scored the second-highest opening of all time for a film in December.

What's the highest opening of all time for a film in December, you might ask? The Force Awakens.

BoxOfficeMojo reports that Rogue One managed to score a whopping $290 million worldwide on its opening weekend, which covers its production budget of $200 million in one go. Analysts predict that Rogue One will start hitting profit roughly around the middle of this week and will continue to run in cinemas for the entire Christmas period in cinemas.

In the US, Rogue One opened in over 4,000 theatres for an estimated total of $155 million, seeing off light competition from weepy melodrama Collateral Beauty. In fact, Collateral Beauty will now go down as Will Smith's worst-opening film in his career, taking a paltry $11,600,000 worldwide.

Meanwhile, Rogue One is riding high with an 'A' CinemaScore across all demographics. Breaking down the box office figures further, IMAX and premium large-format screens played a significant part in the figures, with IMAX screens garnering a total of $19 million across 400 screens.

There's no official word yet on the Irish figures for Rogue One - we'll have them Wednesday - but it is known that the film made a substantial sum across the Irish Sea - $21 million. What's more, the film has been officially secured a release in China, with analysts predicting a further $150 million haul for the film.

The real test, however, comes from its staying power with audiences. As with any major film, the second week drop-off determines how well it's going to last into the future. Next week sees the release of Passengers, with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, whilst Assassin's Creed, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, on January 1st.

While it may have faced off a smaller drama in Collateral Beauty, both Passengers and Assassin's Creed are broad appeal blockbusters hoping to make a dent on Rogue One's hold over the box office. Regardless of this, for now at least, the Force is strong with Rogue One.

Ugh, that's an awful pun.

 

Via BoxOfficeMojo