Disney re-releasedRogue One: A Star Wars Storyin 250 domestic IMAX theaters this weekend, as the studio builds towards the upcoming streaming seriesAndor. The film, originally released in 2016 to positive reviews and box office success, grossed $1 million in ticket sales over the weekend, pushing its lifetime IMAX haul to $105 million.Rogue Oneis now among the top 10 highest-grossing films released in the premium format.
The re-release includes a special preview ofAndor, which serves as a spinoff toRogue One, which itself was the first in a series of planned live-action theatrical spinoffs to the main Star Wars movies. Directed byGareth Edwardsand featuring an ensemble cast led byFelicity Jones,Diego Luna,Ben Mendelsohn,Donnie Yen,Riz Ahmed,Donnie Yen,Jiang Wen,Mads MikkelsenandForest Whitaker,Rogue Onegrossed over $1 billion worldwide in its original theatrical run, against a reported budget in the vicinity of $265 million. The film told the story of the doomed crew that stole the plans of the Death Star, enabling the Rebel Alliance’s victory inStar Wars: A New Hope.
For all intents and purposes, Disney’s ambitious plans to expand the Skywalker-centric Star Wars universe appeared to have paid off back then, despite the now-infamous hiccups. As fans would recall,Rogue Onehada notoriously difficult production, with the third act undergoing major rewrites under the supervision ofTony Gilroy. The film also saw a change in composer, withMichael Giacchinostepping in asAlexandre Desplat’s replacement. Giacchino was given mere weeks to complete the score.
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Gilroy returns as the showrunner ofAndor, which will tell the origin story of Luna’s intelligence officer character, Cassian Andor. The 12-episode series will also featureGenevieve O’Reilly,Stellan Skarsgård,Adria Arjona,Denise Gough,Kyle Soller, andFiona Shaw.
Disney pivoted to long-form streaming after the franchise ran into roadblocks on the theatrical front. WhileRogue Onewas a resounding success, its follow-up —Solo: A Star Wars Story— became the first-everStar Warsfilm to bomb at the box office. Thanks to a budget that ballooned to around $275 million because of a production that was even more troubled than that of its predecessor,Sologrossed just $393 million worldwide, essentially derailing the entire franchise. The franchise’ fate was sealed with the relative underperformance of the final installment in the main trilogy —Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
But even as theStar Warsmovies struggled in theaters, the franchise flourished on streaming, thanks mostly to the hit seriesThe Mandalorian(which is now awaiting its third season) and its spinoff,The Book of Boba Fett. A third live-action show,Obi-Wan, was released earlier this year to mostly positive reviews. Several more shows arein various stages of development.Andoris slated to debut on Disney+ on September 21. You can watch our interview with Edwards here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
