The “Star Wars” acquisition keeps getting better and better for Disney.
With “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” pushing $950 million at the global box office, Disney, after three releases, has officially made back the $4.06 billion it paid George Lucas for his company in 2012. The Mouse House has surpassed $4 billion in worldwide ticket sales between “The Last Jedi,” “Rogue One,” and 2015’s “The Force Awakens” — and that’s not including the other sources of revenue, including merchandise, ad revenue, and theme park attractions, that the franchise has brought in.
Of course, that doesn’t include the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on making Disney’s first three “Star Wars” films. But with several more films in the works, including a young Han Solo movie, and the third and final film in the latest “Star Wars” trilogy, Disney will lap its initial investment.
“The Last Jedi” surpassed the $900 million on Thursday, and won’t open in China until January. The J.J. Abrams-directed “The Force Awakens” boasts the best U.S. box office tally of all time, raking in $937 million domestically and more than $2 billion worldwide. “Rogue One,” released in December 2016, also eclipsed the $1 billion mark.
Shares of Disney ticked slightly higher on Thursday, trading at $108 per share.