The Last Jedi will surely leave audiences wanting more and with new questions, so instead of the two year gap between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, it will be merely a year and a half.
Episode IX is only in the pre-production stage at this point, and now has just about two years to get the movie finished.
The Last Jedi already figures to be a box office hit this December where it experiences little competition, but the summer season can be a much more competitive time – even for Star Wars.
Now, opening weekend numbers will be much more important as the heavy competition will mean diminishing returns as Episode IX goes on.