Anna Daniels
While audiences don’t always agree with them, critics have an important job to do: assess the perceived merits and downfalls of a film, then post their evaluations in a professional review online. Reviews, the vast majority of which are published a few days if not weeks before the a movie’s theatrical launch, allow fans to get a general sense of whether a film is worth seeing. If a flick is garnering almost nothing but terrible reviews, moviegoers tend to stay away. If a pic is pulling in glowing recommendation after glowing recommendation, it’s all the fuel viewers need to race to theaters on opening day. Critical reviews serve as a sort of barometer, measuring the quality of a movie so that people can save and spend their time and money wisely.
In the case of The Rise of Skywalker, both initial reactions and full-length reviews for the film were wildly mixed. Some slammed the movie as a hodgepodge mess of fan service and poor storytelling decisions, while others praised it as a the perfect conclusion to the Skywalker saga that capped everything off with twists, turns, and heartwarming moments. The first day reviews went live (Wednesday, December 18), The Rise of Skywalker was clocking in at under 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes — certified “rotten” by the aggregator’s standards. In most instances, this would turn people away. After all, why would they run the risk of hating the movie instead of loving it, when they could just as easily see something else they know they’d enjoy?
But this didn’t happen with The Rise of Skywalker, and its opening weekend numbers prove that. People still headed out in droves to see the film — and not just on Thursday night and not only the ones who purchased advance tickets, as the box office breakdown shows tons of money made on Friday and Saturday as well. Negative reviews didn’t keep moviegoers from witnessing The Rise of Skywalker for themselves, making the film a rare one that people actually wanted to see despite many critics loathing it to its core. The fact that The Rise of Skywalker earned nearly $374 million even after some critics called it “the worst Star Wars [movie] ever” is certainly mind-blowing.
Written by: Looper
