With <em>Solo</em>, Has <em>Star Wars </em>Fatigue Set In?
The latest entry in Disney’s franchise disappointed at the box office in its opening weekend, suggesting even the best-recognized brands aren’t invincible.
From 1977 to 2005, there were six films released in theaters. For better or worse, each was an event; all but one was the highest-grossing movie the year it came out (was 2002’s third-highest). Since Disney bought Lucasfilm and acquired the rights to George Lucas’s storied, moneymaking franchise, it has put out four movies in four years. The first three—and —followed that same pattern, with each becoming the biggest release of 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. Even with Disney’s more compressedremained a required viewing experience.
