Following the world premiere ofStar Wars: The Last Jediand the first press screenings over the past few days,The Last Jedi reviewsare in, and they’re overwhelmingly positive, easily earning a certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While the percentage may very well fluctuate between now and the wide release on Friday,Star Wars: The Last Jedicurrently stands at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 173 positive reviews and just 11 negative reviews posted thus far. That tally is currently higher than both 2015’sStar Wars: The Force Awakens(93%) and last year’sRogue One: A Star Wars Story(85%).
Given the extremely positiveLast Jedi early reactions, the Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t entirely surprising, but it certainly is encouraging for fans who have waited two long years to see how the story continues afterStar Wars: The Force Awakens. The movie has also gotten a positive seal of approval from the man who created this very franchise, George Lucas, whose rep revealed the filmmaker thought this movie was “beautifully made” by director Rian Johnson. Along with its critical acclaim,Star Wars: The Last Jediwill most likely be the highest-grossing movie of the year as well.
Early box office projections putThe Last Jediat over $200 million domestic in its opening weekend, and while those projections seemingly haven’t changed, we reported earlier this week thatThe Last Jedi is eyeing a $425 million worldwide debut, which would be the fifth highest worldwide debut of all time. One reason why this number isn’t higher is because it doesn’t open in the second largest box office market in the world, China, until July 06, 2025. While these projections are certainly impressive, they will still fall short of the opening weekend record of $247.9 million and the all-time domestic record of $936.6 million, both set byStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
WhileThe Last Jediis already shaping up to be both a critical and commercial hit, it could be making waves this awards season as well, with a report from earlier this week revealing that Disney is mounting anOscar campaign for The Last Jedi. The studio is puttingThe Last Jediin contention for all of the major awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Rian Johnson, Mark Hamill for Best Actor and Daisy Ridley for Best Actress. While smash-hit blockbusters likeStar Wars: The Last Jediare often shunned by the Academy and other awards, aside from the technical categories, it will be interesting to see if the Academy sparks to this Oscar campaign, although the movie received no major Golden Globe nominations.
It has also been confirmed that this will be the longestStar Warsmovie ever, at two hours and 32 minutes, although theoriginal Last Jedi cutwas over three hours long. It remains to be seen if this lengthy runtime will have any affect on repeat business forStar Wars: The Last Jedi, but by all accounts, it should be another huge hit for Disney and LucasFilm. You can visitRotten Tomatoesto read all of the reviews posted thus far forStar Wars: The Last Jedi.
