Is everyone pretty much thinking the same thing then? ($700,000,000 domestic/$1.4 worldwide) I haven’t seen too many predictions far outside of those numbers.
The Force Awakens opening weekend was $247,966,675 and The Last Jedi opened with $220,009,584, so I would expect The Rise of Skywalker to at least open around $230,000,000.
I’m definitely predicting less than The Last Jedi. I really think a lot of people were turned off by it and don’t feel the need to see final installment.
Are you going to see it?
Most definitely. I quite liked The Last Jedi on repeat viewing, even loved certain parts. But I have a few friends who hated it for legitimate reasons and who just don’t care to see IX.
Even I am much less excited to see IX than I was to see The Last Jedi. As interesting as parts of TLJ are I don’t think Rian Johnson left much to anticipate. TLJ really felt like an ending with all of our characters reunited, stories sort of completed (except maybe for Kylo Ren). Especially the symbolism of the epilogue with the little slave children felt like this chapter of the saga has come to a close.
Not every middle chapter has to have a big cliffhanger ending, but TLJ needed some sort of business that was left unfinished. Something more immediate and personal than “Rebels are still fighting the First Order” which technically is unfinished business, but is not really all that compelling.
All this to say that I expect a smaller turnout for episode IX.