The success of Rogue One eliminates any doubts over whether the anthology spin-offs will perform as well as the upcoming sequels; while The Force Awakens outperformed the Felicity Jones-starring prequel, it signals that the Star Wars brand is huge enough to carry standalone films that exist in the same universe – it hit £50.7million after only 17 days of release.
Rogue One needed less than a month to become the UK’s biggest film at the 2016 box office, earning the accolade with just hours to go.
Jones is contracted to appear in a future Star Wars film meaning Rogue One is probably not the last we’ll see of Jyn Erso.
The Star Wars prequel – which has been earning rave reviews since its release on 16 December – topped the annual chart on New Year’s Eve shunting Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into second place.