The new year at the box office in the US is starting where 2016 left off: with Disney on top.
Star Wars spin-off Rogue One led the box office for the third straight week, taking in an estimated $64.3 million (£52.4 million) over the four-day New Year weekend, according to studio estimates.
This follows the movie – starring Felicity Jones in the leading role – becoming the UK’s biggest film of 2016 in the final few hours of December 31.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Star Wars/PA Images)
The film overtook previous chart-topper Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, taking a total of £50.7 million in the UK and Ireland after just 17 days on release.
Overall, Walt Disney Studios has done incredibly well in the UK, with Rogue One, The Jungle Book and Finding Dory all in the top five flicks of the year, each raking in over £40 million. In a year marked by franchise struggles, the company has made a routine of churning out well-reviewed, hugely profitable blockbusters.
Back in the US, the success of Gareth Edwards’ Star Wars effort has only further cemented a record year for Disney, which ran up $2.7 billion (£2.2 million) in domestic ticket sales in 2016 and accounted for more than 25% of the market across the pond.
Rogue One, which has now grossed about $440 million (£358.56 million) in North America and nearly $800 million (£651.9 million) globally, currently slots in as the year’s number two movie, following Finding Dory.
The weekend pushed the industry to $11.4 billion (£9.3 billion) in ticket sales in 2016 in the US, topping the $11.1 billion (£9 billion) record set in 2015. The record revenue, propelled primarily by the Disney juggernaut, masks undeniable challenges in the business. Attendance was largely flat. Streaming and television continue to grow as competitors.
Some glaring failures (Suicide Squad) and flops (Independence Day: Resurgence) showed considerable franchise fatigue with audiences. And several studios (Paramount, Sony) endured much leaner years.
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