'Solo: A Star Wars Story'

(POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD)

Solo: A Star Wars Story is one of the biggest box office disappointments in recent history. Currently, Solo: A Star Wars story is sitting at a paltry domestic earnings of $127,745,692 per (Box Office Mojo). Let's just say this is an underwhelming amount especially compared to the main Star Wars films. The question is, why?

Some people would say a change in directors, their vision, a few actor changes, and reshoots plagued the film. Others would say it is a story we mostly already know; yes we get to see how Han Solo actually is, who he is in Star Wars: A New Hope, but we knew the story. I disagree with both of these concepts as to why the film is failing. This goes back to Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

My opinion on The Last Jedi will not be discussed today; however the overwhelming disappointment by many fans will be. To a large amount of fans a hero was not only murdered in their eyes, but slandered as well. This is somewhat comparable to the backlash of Batman Vs Superman. Batman goes completely against his code and kills several people without a care in the world or without any plan that would limit any casualties. For many fans, that broke the character.

For many fans, the same was done to Luke Skywalker, and at an even bigger dishonor. Many fans commented, "they barely even recognized the character." Mark Hamill and the original director for episode 9, Colin Trevorrow, have both shown their resentments toward the way Luke was portrayed. While The Last Jedi was a critical success and made great earnings at the box office ($1.321 Billion), it underwhelmed in comparison to Star Wars: The Force Awakens which came in at $2.066 Billion. Neither films were clearly a box office drag, but there is a considerable difference of about $700 Million. It was accepted, because of the belief of the huge surge, fans would have had to see a new Star Wars movie in over a decade with The Force Awakens, which is accurate. However, I would disagree that that is why it beat out its successor. I would say all, or at least a very large majority, have been waiting to see Mark Hamill get his big huge CGI and budget filled abilities on full display. Once episode 7 didn't even have Luke in it (minus a 10-second end scene) episode 8 being Luke's movie should have blown well past The Force Awakens. It didn't because to many, their hero was tarnished.

This brings me to what this has to do with Solo. With one of our heroes tarnished in front of our eyes, why would Star Wars fans go to watch another be tarnished as well. Now I am not saying they have tarnished Han, it may be quite the opposite—again I'm not here to give my opinion on the films, just a reason for its lack of success.

The Solo movie has failed not because of the movie itself, but because the world that was created with the heroes we loved, for many people that world was destroyed. Why would those fans return to that world? I make the comparison to DC universe again. Many fans have had that world they loved shattered and they aren't going back, or at least without as much joy. When you go to the theater expecting the worse hoping for the best, you are usually left disappointed. That is what has happened to Solo. It has the misfortune of following after episode 8. Had it come before, I guarantee this would be a different story.