Entertainment

Latest Star Wars film continues strong start at the box office

The Rise Of Skywalker is the final film in the saga.
The Rise Of Skywalker is the final film in the saga. The Rise Of Skywalker is the final film in the saga.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker has so far earned more than half a billion US dollars at the global box office, Disney has said.

The final film in the saga made nearly $US516.8 million (£397.5 million) in its first eight days, according to distributor Disney.

That total includes $36 million (£27.7 million) from UK cinema-goers, the entertainment giant said.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Premiere – London
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Premiere – London Daisy Ridley stars in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, which has enjoyed a strong start at the box office (Ian West/PA)

On Wednesday, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker – which stars British actors Daisy Ridley and John Boyega – achieved the US’s second biggest box office Christmas day total ever, with an estimated $32 million (£24.6 million).

That is behind only 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The Rise Of Skywalker is the ninth and final episode in the Skywalker saga which began with the original Star Wars in 1977.

Ridley and Boyega reprise their roles from previous films as Rey and Finn respectively while old favourites including Mark Hamill and Ian McDiarmid also return.

Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia until her death in 2016, also appeared in the film after director JJ Abrams repurposed unreleased footage from a previous movie.