Star wars

The Rise of Skywalker's US sales were down nearly 30% on the first movie in the saga, The Force Awakens.

Still, the latest instalment ranked as one of the best December openings in North America.

It is expected to end a strong year for distributor Disney, with a string of hits grossing more than $1bn.

Starring Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, the film is the final chapter in the Skywalker saga begun by George Lucas in 1977. It is set one year after its predecessor.

Film fans spent £1.38bn on tickets last year, up 3.6% on 2016.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Beauty and the Beast were the year's most popular films, followed by Dunkirk, Despicable Me 3 and Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2.

Box office trackers ComScore said fans still wanted the cinema experience despite the popularity of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon.

ComScore executive director Lucy Jones said: "Audiences want the right content on the right platform.

The Last Jedi, writes the Telegraph's reviewer, is "enormous fun" and "will leave fans beaming with surprise".

The LA Times agrees, calling it "the first flat-out terrific Star Wars movie since 1980's The Empire Strikes Back".

Variety, though, swims against the tide, calling it "the longest and least essential chapter in the series".

Rian Johnson's film, says Peter Debruge, is "ultimately a disappointment" that "gives in to the same winking self-parody that is poisoning other franchises of late."

A TV legend front and center in an adaptation with a modern twist, and an adorable lion cub were the stars of the live-action presentation at Disney's D23 event, at which the studio unveiled multiple highly anticipated sneak peeks on Saturday.

Among the most anticipated first looks was that for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

Director Rian Johnson was joined by cast members Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro to show a new behind-the-scenes featurette with looks at the upcoming film.

Disney (DIS) released the first teaser trailer for the highly anticipated next chapter in the "Star Wars" saga, "The Last Jedi," Friday.

The trailer followed a panel with the film's stars, director Rian Johnson and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy that took place at the massive "Star Wars" fan gathering, Star Wars Celebration, in Orlando, Florida.

You'll know by now that the new film - episode VIII, out this December - will be called Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

When that title was revealed, there was massive speculation over who that Jedi was.

But with the release of the international language titles, eagle-eyed enthusiasts have noted that the the word Jedi is plural - that suggests we're getting more than one.

The Official French Star Wars Twitter account tweeted their new title first

Fisher, 60, who played Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars, is in the intensive care unit of a Los Angeles hospital.

Fisher, 60, who played Princess Leia in Star Wars, was taken ill on a flight from London to LA on Friday.

The voice actor and radio producer passed away on Sunday (April 3) at his Berkeley, California home, his manager told The Hollywood Reporter.

As Admiral Ackbar in Return of the Jedi, Bauersfeld uttered the immortal line of dialogue: "It's a trap!"

Bauersfeld would reprise his role as Admiral Ackbar in this past year's Star Wars: The Force Awakens and various spinoff media.

He also lent his voice to Jabba the Hutt's manservant Bib Fortuna​ in Return of the Jedi.

Weekend movie-going was affected up and down the East Coast by Winter Storm Jonas, which forced theater closures in Washington D.C. and New York, and caused hundreds of theaters to suspend showings. Studio executives said the storm had a major effect on business.

"It had a huge effect on the entire marketplace," said Kevin Grayson, head of domestic distribution for STX Entertainment, which debuted the horror thriller "The Boy." ''Anywhere from 300 to 400 theaters were affected."