5 Reasons Why 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Crumbled at the Box Office

Disney/Lucasfilm

For movie theaters, this Memorial Day weekend has been a good turnaround, but for Lucasfilm and “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” it’s a time for some serious reflection.

Even though it is the first Memorial Day weekend release in four years to open to over $100 million over four days, “Solo” has a three-day start that is a staggering 47 percent down from its fellow “Star Wars” anthology film, “Rogue One,” and down 27 percent from the last “Star Wars” film to open in May, 2005’s “Revenge of the Sith.”

Compounding the problem is the fact that the major reshoots ordered for the film sent the budget spiraling to over $250 million. The global weekend total for “Solo” didn’t even hit that figure, as overseas receipts only amounted to a measly $65 million, giving the film a worldwide haul of just $143 million.

Also Read: Yes, That Was THAT Dead Villain in 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' - Here's What it Means

With that sort of start, “Solo” is in danger of even failing to hit the $700 million range made by solo-superhero Marvel movies like “Doctor Strange” and might struggle to make any sort of sizable profit given its exorbitant price tag.

Here are some of the sources of trouble:

1. Months of bad publicity

The struggle for “Solo” truly began when Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired five months after production began. From there, reports surfaced that the improvisational style of the two “Lego Movie” filmmakers clashed with the stick-to-the-script philosophy of longtime “Star Wars” screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy.

In their place came Ron Howard, a hire that was seen by some fans as a safe choice by the studio to ensure the project would be completed without further creative conflicts.

“‘Star Wars’ has a pedigree to it, and a fan base that really watches all this behind-the-scenes stuff closely,” said Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock. “It became clear to a lot of fans months before ‘Solo’ came out that there were problems at the story level, and it put a big question mark over whether this film was really going to be worth watching.”

Also Read: 'Solo' Crash-Lands With $103 Million 4-Day Holiday Opening

2. Alden Ehrenreich
The production problems that hit the press weren’t just on the story level. There were also reports that Ehrenreich, the young star of the Coen Brothers’ “Hail, Caesar!” was struggling to fill Harrison Ford’s big shoes as the legendary smuggler.

So much, in fact, that Kennedy asked Lord and Miller to bring in an acting coach to help Ehrenreich, something that doesn’t commonly happen midway through production.

“Star Wars” fans aren’t entirely averse to the idea of a new actor taking up a role made famous by a previous one. Look on any “Star Wars” or movie message board and you will find fans interested in seeing Ewan McGregor return to play Obi-Wan in an anthology film after he took over for Alec Guinness as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy.

But though some movie critics have praised Ehrenreich’s performance in the finished product, the news reports of his struggle to find the swagger that Ford so easily reached may have irreversibly soured some “Star Wars” fans on the prospect of going to movie theaters to see him play a young Han.

Also Read: 'Solo' Is Solid: Critics Call 'Star Wars' Anthology Film a Fanboy's Dream Come True

3. Lukewarm reviews and word of mouth
After “Solo” got good reception from its premiere screenings in Hollywood and Cannes and solid (but not spectacular) reviews from critics, it seemed as if the film might be able to overcome the long slew of news reports about its troubled production.

And first-night audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a solid A- grade to complement its 71 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, but the box office fell below projections as the weekend progressed, a sign of weak word of mouth.

After making $35.6 million on Friday, Saturday returns fell 31 percent to $24.6 million. As the weekend progressed, the four-day projections dropped from the pre-release figure of $130 million to $115 million on Saturday and then $100 million on Sunday. Bock believes that the pre-release publicity dampered the desire for “Star Wars” fans to turn out in force.

“With all the behind-the-scenes chaos, ‘pretty good’ probably just wasn’t going to cut it,” he said. “It’s not like the reception coming out of ‘The Force Awakens,’ when it was being acclaimed as a return to form for ‘Star Wars.'”

4. The short shadow of “The Last Jedi”
“Solo” was released just five months after “The Last Jedi,” the eighth installment in the franchise’s main saga. The biggest lesson Disney may have learned from this is that they just can’t release “Star Wars” films in such a short time span.

“It should also be noted that while the film came out in December, some moviegoers have seen it more recently than that,” noted comScore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Some casual audiences didn’t see ‘Last Jedi’ until January, so having another ‘Star Wars’ come out less than half a year later may have left them feeling like they really didn’t need to see another one of these movies right when it came out.”

But one might ask: What about Marvel Studios, which has been releasing its films sometimes within three months of each other?

Also Read: Don't Rule Out More 'Avengers' Movies After 'Avengers 4,' Says Disney CEO Bob Iger

The key difference is that Marvel films are not the same as “Star Wars” films. While they are superhero movies, the more recent Marvel Cinematic Universe entries have varied in tone, style, and character, thanks in large part to studio head Kevin Feige’s initiative to hire directors with their own signature voice.

“Thor: Ragnarok,” for example, was very different from “Black Panther” — and both those films were very different from “Avengers: Infinity War.” That variety in tone, even as an overarching story is being built, gives audiences something different to look forward to every three months or so.

But “Star Wars,” by its nature, doesn’t have that variety, at least not yet. There’s a uniform aesthetic to the franchise, with its starships, lightsabers, and soundtracks composed or inspired by John Williams.

“The Last Jedi” showed the beginnings of Lucasfilm tinkering with that formula, but long-term, the studio may need to really examine what they offer to fans with “Star Wars” and when they give it to them. Disney has time to figure out a strategy going forward since its next “Star Wars” film, “Episode IX,” is due in December 2019. And while a slew of other projects have been announced — such as James Mangold directing a Boba Fett spinoff — none of them have been officially added to Disney’s release schedule.

“We’re always learning from audience reception,” Disney distribution head Dave Hollis told TheWrap. “We’re going to be digging through this over the weeks and months and seeing whether adjustments need to be made.”

Also Read: Terry Crews: X-Force Appearance in 'Deadpool 2' Trailer Was Intended 'to Fool' Marvel Fans

5. Competing for the same fans as Marvel
One of those adjustments Disney might make is to give as much breathing room between the “Star Wars” franchise and Marvel films — and possibly superhero films in general. This Memorial Day weekend, “Solo” went up against the second weekend of Fox’s “Deadpool 2” and the fifth weekend of “Infinity War,” two films that, while not as fresh in theaters, still target the exact same Comic-Con audience that often has interest in both superhero films and space adventures.

Compare this to 2013, when the box office set a Memorial Day weekend record. The new films on offer that weekend were “Fast & Furious 6,” “The Hangover Part III,” and the animated film “Epic.” That’s a much more varied menu of films than what’s on offer this weekend, even if this year’s films come from major franchises.

And beyond just serving as alternatives to “Star Wars,” “Deadpool 2” and “Infinity War” were much bigger hits with both critics and core audiences when they opened. The presence of two major blockbusters that were marked with extremely giddy anticipation and paid off their hype could very well have made the bumpy run-up and less enthusiastic reception to “Solo” all the more glaring.

It’s still way too early to determine if “Star Wars,” the godfather of franchise filmmaking, will fall victim to the dreaded “franchise fatigue” that has plagued the likes of “Transformers” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” in recent years.

And given that Lucasfilm produced three consecutive $1 billion-plus hits in as many years, one misfire isn’t going to necessarily be the end of the world. But neither can this poor performance be completely written off, and only time will tell to see whether Lucasfilm can avoid similar production and box office chaos in the future.

All 26 Ron Howard Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best (Photos)

Ron Howard grew up in front of the camera, but he came of age as an artist behind it. The actor-turned-filmmaker has directed well over 20 movies throughout his career, taking an unostentatious approach to popcorn flicks and prestige pictures alike. With "Solo" now in theaters, here's a look back at the good, the bad, and "The Dilemma."
26. "The Dilemma" (2011)

What at first appears to be Howard's attempt at a Woody Allen-style film about crisscrossing relationships gradually turns out to be an inert romantic dramedy. Vince Vaughn and Kevin James are taken well beyond their comfort zones, but Winona Ryder and Jennifer Connelly acquit themselves about as well as possible. Howard's style isn't as instantly identifiable as someone like Tarantino, but "The Dilemma" barely even feels like it was made by him.
25. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000)

Dr. Seuss has rarely translated well on screen, and Howard's take on one of the author's best-known works is no exception. (It's also no "Cat in the Hat," and for that we can be grateful.) Jim Carrey is expectedly hammy in the title role, but watching this movie isn't likely to grow anyone's heart by three sizes.
24. "In the Heart of the Sea" (2015)

This semi-adaptation of "Moby-Dic"k fails to capture the sweeping power of its source material; more damning, it never tells a compelling story of its own. The sea is a cruel mistress indeed, and for now a truly epic silver-screen version of Herman Melville's novel remains a white whale.
Warner Bros.
23. "The Da Vinci Code" (2006)

The greatest mystery in this adaptation of Dan Brown's once-ubiquitous novel is whose idea it was to style Tom Hanks' hair that way. Howard's most frequent leading man is reduced to an exposition-delivery device here, and there's never any chance to get caught up in a story that explains every bit of would-be intrigue just as soon as it's introduced.
22. "Gung Ho" (1986)

Like a lot of other '80s movies, "Gung Ho" would like you to know how funny Asian people are. An East-meets-West comedy about an auto manufacturing plant that gets bought by a Japanese company — whose strange, rigid ways are just too much for Michael Keaton and his co-workers to handle — this one doesn't deserve a bailout.
21. "Grand Theft Auto" (1977)

Howard's feature debut also finds him in front of the camera -- the only time he's made more than an uncredited cameo in any of his films. This feature-length car chase between L.A. and Las Vegas might not be as memorable as your first car, but it isn't exactly a lemon.
20. "Inferno" (2016)

If you were hoping that Howard's third adaptation of a Dan Brown novel would be a marked improvement over the first two, prepare for disappointment. "Inferno" has a "Bourne"-like vibe that makes it function better as an action movie, but there's still no real sense of urgency or drama to it.
19. "Angels & Demons" (2009)

The source material is nothing to write home about, and Howard's second adaptation of a Dan Brown novel (which was actually published before "The Da Vinci Code") fails to elevate it. Though a modest improvement over its predecessor, this is essentially two hours of Tom Hanks playing tour guide as the Vatican descends into chaos.
18. "The Paper" (1994)

You'd be forgiven for not remembering (or, depending on how old you are, even knowing) that "Spotlight" wasn't the first newspaper movie starring Michael Keaton. Not that Howard's portrayal of a fictional New York City rag using the powers of journalistic integrity to make the world a slightly better place is bad, mind you. It just isn't especially headline-worthy.
17. "The Missing" (2003)

Howard's violent, semi-revisionist Western is the other side of the "Far and Away" coin: Where that film shows the promise and potential 19th-century America offered newcomers, "The Missing" displays the grim realities for those who were already here -- including and especially the actual natives.
16. "Ransom" (1996)

Howard hasn't made a lot of movies like "Ransom," whose kidnapping narrative explores the fine line between justice and revenge. He does well with the darker material, however, once again showing his skill at floating between genres with ease.
15. "A Beautiful Mind" (2001)

The film that won Howard the Academy Award for Best Director -- he beat out David Lynch, Robert Altman, Woody Allen, and Peter Jackson -- was neither the best film of 2001 nor of Howard's career. But this Best Picture winner is satisfying in exactly the way you'd expect a biopic about a tortured genius to be, with Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly turning in fine performances.
14. "The Beatles: Eight Days a Week" (2016)

It's little surprise that the Baby Boomer star of "Happy Days" and "American Graffiti" would have such a fondness for the Fab Four. Howard's documentary on the Beatles' touring years (1962–66) abounds with concert and archival footage, making for an experience as friendly to devotees as it is to those who've yet to be won over by Paul, John, George, and Ringo.
Getty Images
13. "Parenthood" (1989)

This family dramedy's most lasting legacy may be NBC's television adaptation, which surpassed its source material sometime in its second season. That said, "Parenthood" is, like a great many of the director's films, hard to object to and easy to get into; that Howard and Steve Martin never collaborated again feels like a missed opportunity.
12. "Night Shift" (1982)

Years before Tom Hanks entered the picture, Michael Keaton was Howard's go-to leading man. Their three-film collaboration began with this workplace comedy about two morticians. If a morgue doesn't sound like the ideal setting for a comedy, that's sort of the point; still, Howard's "Happy Days" co-star Henry Winkler works well alongside Keaton, with the two injecting more than enough shenanigans into the proceedings to keep "Night Shift" lively.
11. "Far and Away" (1992)

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman set course from Ireland and experience their own version of the American Dream circa the late 19th century. The movie loses steam when it gestures toward grand statements, but "Far and Away" is overlooked as a romantic adventure -- and a fine showcase for its two leads.
10. "Rush " (2013)

Though seemingly intended as a star vehicle for Chris Hemsworth, "Rush" ended up serving as a showcase for Daniel Bruhl, who leaves his co-star in the dust. Both Hemsworth and the film itself fare much better than "In the Heart of the Sea," at least, and the racing sequences are a genuine thrill ride.

Universal
9. "Backdraft" (1991)

"Backdraft" is a modest blockbuster by today's standards, which is part of its charm. The firefighter drama recalls a simpler time when summer movies weren't all based on pre-existing properties and didn't lead to a number of increasingly disappointing sequels. (It did inspire a ride at Universal Studios which, in a telling sign of the changing times, was replaced by a "Transformers" attraction five years ago.)
8. "Cocoon" (1985)

The mid-to-late-'80s turned out to be one of Howard's most fruitful periods, and he first demonstrated his penchant for heightened realities with "Cocoon". He has a knack for this kind of fantastical material, as it brings out his kindness toward his characters and gift for classical storytelling.
7. "EDtv" (1999)

This one gets points not only for its prescience -- its vision of the reality-TV era is even more accurate than" The Truman Show" -- as well as the deftness with which Howard blends comedy and drama. It's also a reminder that Matthew McConaughey had plenty of worthwhile roles long before the McConaissance.
6. "Solo: A Star Wars Story" (2018)

Ron Howard has never been the world's flashiest director, but there's a reason he was called upon when Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired and "Solo" needed a new pilot. And though it's difficult for those of us on the outside looking in to know how much of the latest "Star Wars" movie he's truly responsible for, the end result is an enjoyable space Western that makes for a worthy addition to the mythos.
5. "Willow" (1988)

Howard's skills are so well suited to the fantasy genre that it's strange and even unfortunate he's never returned to it. Warwick Davis, in the title role, is his most sympathetic protagonist. Despite being an original screenplay, "Willow" has the feel of a classic fairy tale.
4. "Cinderella Man" (2005)

Howard can be hit-or-miss when in prestige-picture mode, but at its best this boxing drama is a reminder that that term needn't be a pejorative. He wisely brings the story's Depression elements to the fore, almost to the point of minimizing the in-ring sequences, and wrangles a better performance out of Russell Crowe than he did in "A Beautiful Mind."
3. "Splash" (1984)

This mermaid tale bridges the gap between the director's earlier, less serious fare and the more dramatic work that followed. Plus, it's a pleasing middle ground for both Howard and his leading man, Tom Hanks. Howard excels at infusing lighthearted stories with gravity and more serious narratives with moments of levity; the balance here is as good as it's ever been.
2. "Frost/Nixon" (2003)

Howard presents the fateful interview that helped secure Tricky Dick's legacy as a verbal sparring match between journalist and interviewee, turning what could have been a flat series of conversations into a genuinely tense procedural. On the strength of Frank Langella's performance, it also pulls off an even more impressive feat: evoking sympathy for Richard Nixon.
1. "Apollo 13" (1995)

Houston, we have a favorite. Howard's tendency to lionize his characters (see also "Backdraft" and "A Beautiful Mind") is most deserved in this account of the astronauts who almost didn't make it home from the moon. This is a bumpy ride with high stakes that sticks the landing.

1 of 27

How does “Solo: A Star Wars Story” rank among the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s work?

Ron Howard grew up in front of the camera, but he came of age as an artist behind it. The actor-turned-filmmaker has directed well over 20 movies throughout his career, taking an unostentatious approach to popcorn flicks and prestige pictures alike. With "Solo" now in theaters, here's a look back at the good, the bad, and "The Dilemma."

View In Gallery