“Solo: A Star Wars Story” may soon hold a dubious honor: becoming the first “Star Wars” movie to lose money.
Even the prequel trilogy, which received negative reviews and earned scorn from longtime fans, did gangbusters at the box office; unlike those three films, “Solo” hit theaters just five months after its predecessor and within weeks of both “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Deadpool 2.” Now director Ron Howard admits he “feels badly” that more people aren’t seeing his contribution to the franchise.
“I’m proud of #SoloAStarWarsStory and the cast & crew worked hard to give fans a fun new addition,” he tweeted in response to a fan theorizing that backlash to “The last Jedi” is partially to blame. “As a director I feel badly when people who I believe (& exit polls show) will very likely enjoy a movie… don’t see it on a big screen w/great sound.”
Howard took over for Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who were fired midway through production; rumors of what might have gone wrong did little to help audience perception of the film in the lead-up to its release.
Read More:‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Drops 65 Percent at the Box Office, Breaking the Wrong Records
“Solo” has made $176 million domestically in its first 17 days of release, far less than half what previous standalone entry “Rogue One” earned in the same amount of time.
I’m proud of #SoloAStarWarsStory and the cast & crew worked hard to give fans a fun new addition. As a director I feel badly when people who I believe (& exit polls show) will very likely enjoy a movie… don’t see it on a big screen w/great sound. https://t.co/KADHwqU8so
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) June 10, 2018