Disney's 'Star Wars' Movies Cross $4 Billion Worldwide

Prior to their current industry earthquake with their purchase of Fox, Disney shocked the world in 2012 when they forked over $4.05 billion for Lucasfilm. Oh, there was also the added detail that a new “Star Wars” movie would arrive in 2015. Well, not only did “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” conquer the galaxy, it kickstarted the franchise’s return, and now, five years after that investment, Disney has made back their money. On paper at least.

Disney’s “Star Wars” films — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” — have now collectively surpassed $4.06 billion in ticket sales at the worldwide box office. Does that cover the cost of the acquisition of Lucasfilm as THR claims? Well, not quite — even with Disney’s increasingly onerous demands of theater owners regarding how long they have to play “Star Wars” movies in their cinemas, as well as the cut of ticket sales they get, not every dollar floats back to the mouse house. And the figure doesn’t account for the budget of these movies (but then again, the merchandising alone is probably bringing in a staggering haul of cash). However, it does indicate the franchise is in very healthy shape, and most studios in Hollywood would kill for any of their properties to make that kind of bank in such a short amount of time.

At the moment, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is on track to finish its run at $1.6 billion worldwide, which is pretty damn terrific. Next on deck is “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which is perhaps the biggest question mark facing the brand yet, given its rocky production. Will it join the billion-dollar club of its predecessor? We’ll soon find out, but if anything, Disney has proven it’s foolish to doubt their abilities to manufacture a hit.