by Ray Keating
News/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
May 8, 2024
Guess what movie was Number 2 at the domestic box office this past weekend (May 3-5)? It was the special re-release of a 25-year-old Star Wars movie.
That’s right, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace took in $8.7 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, and that was second behind The Fall Guy ($27.7 million).
Hmmm. I’m not sure if that says more about the current state of movies in theaters or the lasting effects of Star Wars. Probably both are at work here.
By the way, when released originally in 1999, the film cost $115 million to make, and it pulled in more than $924 million in gross box office revenues. That’s a major box office success.
And as for those who still diss the Star Wars prequels, while each film had its problems, they actually have improved with age, like a fine wine. Star Wars creator George Lucas directed The Phantom Menace, and there’s much to appreciate.
My favorite moment is the final light saber battle where Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi take on Darth Maul. Lucas excels with these kinds of operatic scenes. But there’s a great deal more than action here to appreciate. Watch how each character acts or reacts when the fighting is paused periodically due to the forcefields engaging. Darth Maul paces like a caged animal. Qui-Gon kneels and meditates. And the young Obi-Wan bounces, wanting to get back in the action.
Great stuff.
I’m glad I journeyed to the theater this past weekend to catch The Phantom Menace on the big screen – apparently with a good number of other people.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
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• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is at Amazon.
• Order The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, and The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist at Amazon.com.
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