Star Wars 8: The Last Jedi set for huge opening weekend at the box office

Star Wars: The Force Awakens broke box-office records when released in 2015, opening to an incredible $248 million weekend in North America.

Expectations are unsurprisingly high for the blockbuster’s sequel, The Last Jedi. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney and LucasFilm need not worry as Rian Johnson’s film looks set to easily break the $200 million mark in North America on its opening weekend.

Topping that huge benchmark would make The Last Jedi one of only four films to open to a $200 million-plus weekend in the United States, the other three being Force Awakens, Jurassic World, and The Avengers.

For comparison, Rogue One — the Star Wars spin-off set between episodes III and IV — managed a $155.1 million weekend. Due to The Last Jedi being a proper instalment in the series, analysts are expecting a better showing than the prequel-sequel.

The biggest weekend of 2017 so-far belongs to another Disney title, Beauty and the Beast, which managed $174.8 million. The Last Jedi should easily defeat the Emma Watson-starring film.

Meanwhile, the marketing for The Last Jedi has ramped up in recent weeks, the latest teaser detailing how the chandelier-inspired crystal foxes were created.