The box office profitability of Disney’s Star Wars films has been revealed, and it seemingly dispels a common misconception that some have about Disney ruining the franchise. Forbes recently broke down the financials for all five Star Wars films released since the Disney acquisition, accounting for budget, tax incentives, and theater revenue deductions to work out the profit each movie made.
The Force Awakens, which grossed $2.06 billion worldwide, made a profit of $500.2 million, making nearly a 93.4% return on investment; the most successful Disney Star Wars film. The Last Jedi, the second film in the sequel trilogy, made a net profit of $324 million, making a 94.4% return on investment. Even though Rogue One made less of a profit, $258.4 million, it actually had a bigger return on investment with 95.4% due to it having a smaller budget than The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
The Rise of Skywalker did not fare quite as well. It had a profit of $43.8 million, nearly $300 million less than The Last Jedi. Yet that decrease, and only 9.9% return, was not as much about fan interest waning after the divisive The Last Jedi, but all to do with the film’s budget of $537 million, the third most expensive movie ever. So far, the only Star Wars film to lose money is Solo: A Star Wars Story, which lost Disney $103.3 million, or a 34.5% loss.
Disney Has Made Billions Off ‘Star Wars’
Ever since the Sequel Trilogy began, but particularly since the release of The Last Jedi, many have tried to point to this era of Star Wars as having been a failure for Disney. Yet the numbers here reveal that isn’t true. It certainly isn’t good that Solo: A Star Wars Story was the first bomb in the franchise’s history, or that The Rise of Skywalker made less than its predecessors. However, it is disingenuous to say that the franchise has been a financial disappointment when four of Disney’s five Star Wars movies have grossed more than $1 billion, something most franchises would do anything to achieve.
These numbers for Star Wars also only take into account theatrical earnings and not revue from VOD rentals and purchases, television syndication, streaming deals, or even merchandise. It also doesn’t include the marketing cost for these films, which could be considerably higher. Disney spent $4 billion on Lucasfilm in 2012. That was always going to be a long-term investment that would pay dividends from much more than just movies, considering the expanded reach of the franchise in video games, toys, theme park attractions, and much more. In one year, Disney made $12 billion off Star Wars.
As has been the case for years, Hollywood accounting is designed to hide profits and is often impossible to understand, but budget figures have a way of finding their way into the public domain, mostly thanks to filings for tax credits in international locations. This information has made it much easier to add weight to the argument that, regardless of what some would claim, the Star Wars franchise is doing just fine under Disney’s control.