I would have thought that the above headline would have been the most obvious ever, but now it’s official. Wall Street are apparently predicting that the first new STAR WARS sequel, to be directed by JJ Abrams, is set to make a whopping $1.2 billion at the worldwide box-office, plus millions more in merchandise. Disney’s stock and shares went up 1% yesterday due to the news, and talk of a $190 million loss for THE LONE RANGER were brushed under the carpet. Credit Suisse made said prediction, releasing the following statement:
The ‘Star Wars’ franchise should drive strong profit growth and mitigate risk at the studio with fewer risky high budget films.
Personally, I believe $1.2 billion is airing on the side of caution, and I expect the film and the following sequels to do even better, don’t you? Surely there’s more traction here than the huge success the studio is having with Marvel and Pixar? This year’s IRON MAN 3 made $1.2 billion and AVENGERS ASSEMBLE made $1.5 billion. If Disney were to make the above figure in terms of gross, then they would bank a healthy $700 million plus, and that is just for the first movie of the many planned at the Mouse House.
Source: Variety
