Revenge of the Sith’ at the Domestic Box Office

Disney’s Zootopia took in more than $1 billion worldwide, but given the number of titles in the decade since that movie’s release that have similarly earned $1 billion, it still feels like it’s an underseen and underrepresented animated feature in the studio’s library. In that sense, the release of Zootopia 2 felt a bit like it came out of nowhere, but never underestimate the power of the House of Mouse, as proven by how its sequel has nearly doubled the worldwide haul of the original. With its totals in recent weeks at the domestic box office, Zootopia 2 has surpassed a beloved entry in the galaxy far, far away, as its $414.7 million has passed Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith‘s $414.3.

What’s interesting to note is just how powerful Zootopia 2 has been at the international box office, scoring $1.3 billion of its $1.8 billion total. 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, on the other hand, was a much closer split, as it took in $491.2 million internationally. Even the breakdown between domestic vs. international numbers for this sequel is much closer to the original Zootopia, as $682.5 million of its $1 billion total vs. $341.2 million domestically.

The Power of International Numbers

Every passing year sees Hollywood adjusting their plans to capitalize on foreign markets. Whether it be through Disney’s theatrical releases or its Disney+ streaming service, more territories have access to more titles, and oftentimes, these titles are opening earlier than ever in these markets. One of the best examples of domestic vs. international prominence is Disney’s Avatar franchise, as all three films have had international hauls that are double, if not triple, their domestic takes. American audiences have had a tendency to decry the popularity of Avatar and its cultural impact, with one look at the original’s $2.1 billion international haul vs. its $785 million domestic total proving this argument to be shortsighted.

Making titles available around the world to global audiences is undoubtedly a good move for both the entertainment industry and for audiences, though these releases also come with unexpected consequences. In many regions, for example, LGBTQ+ themes and characters are banned, forcing studios to edit these sequences to earn a theatrical release. While various movies and studios have adhered to these demands, some haven’t, with movies like Marvel’s Eternals not being released in theaters as the studio refused to make edits of its LGBTQ+ characters.

Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Has Struggled Internationally

Alden Ehrenreich in solo a star wars story

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The first six Star Wars films, which include the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy, were released by 20th Century Fox. In a bit of an inverse of the impact of Avatar, the Star Wars franchise has regularly performed more poorly in international markets than domestically. Over the course of nine live-action films, Star Wars has taken in billions of dollars internationally, so it’s not seeing devastating returns, but there’s an undeniable trend in how these movies perform domestically vs. internationally.

Star Wars: A New Hope, for example, has earned $461 million domestically, but only $314.3 internationally. In fact, the entire original trilogy has a lower international total than domestic, with it not being until the prequel trilogy that these numbers started to shift. With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the international box office was just $8 million shy of its domestic haul, helping the standalone movie cross $1 billion. On the other hand, Solo: A Star Wars Story marked one of the largest Disney openings internationally, yet only took in $179.1 million compared to the domestic $213.8 million. In China, the movie even dropped the Star Wars association from its title, instead being called “Ranger Solo.”