At the end of the day, this is still a Star Wars movie. Specifically the end. Audiences love ends of franchises. I don’t think negativity from TLJ will play much of a role into TROS. Rather Episode Nine’s real problem is its contenders in December.

The reason TFA did so well was for the long stretch of December - mid-January it was the only blockbuster in cinemas. Prime Holiday Season. Families wanting to take a break in the holidays and see a movie really only had one choice, and considering how the film was built - to be a simple, enjoyable experience, it fit perfectly into this mold.

Compare this to December 2017, and TLJ reigned supreme at first, but just five days later two surprising popular films - Jumanji and The Greatest Showman - showed up. They took most of TLJ’s end of the holiday season steam. Couple this with the length + more nuanced nature of TLJ, and you don’t have a film that encourages the kind of marketing TFA prospered off. I don’t think the “backlash” contributed to much at all.

TROS is in an interesting situation. Jumanji 2 is coming, but it is slated a week before TROS opens. This makes it marketing towards the prime audience. Now Star Wars is notorious for not doing so well internationally, at least compared to America. Jumanji could steal a huge chunk of TROS’s overseas sales. I still think it will reign king in America, though. Abrams will likely direct the film as “fun” like TFA, even if there are more creative elements, leading to more rewatches over the holiday season.