*By Conor White* Most movie studios would be happy when one of its films earns first-place at the box office on its opening weekend. Disney is not one of those studios. Studio execs are wondering what went wrong after "Solo: A Star Wars Story" took in $103 million in four days, including the Memorial Day holiday weekend. That's an underwhelming box-office debut for a "Star Wars" movie. "Sounds like a lot of money, but it's not for a 'Star Wars' film. Not even close," said Julian Roman, a contributing editor at Movie Web. Roman suggested the "Star Wars" producers take a page out of another movie franchise's playbook to re-invigorate their sci-fi productions. "I think what Kathleen Kennedy and LucasFilm have to do is do what Kevin Feige and Marvel did, and get some better directors, some interesting stories, and make it less about these iconic characters, and have other people in the 'Star Wars' universe," Roman said. "Because you can only milk it for so long." LucasFilm has been telling "Star Wars" stories, with many of the same characters, for more than 40 years, ever since "Episode IV- A New Hope," with new movies based on other characters expected. [Next up](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-boba-fett-movie-is-happening-james-mangold-direct-1113273) may be a movie based on the character of the bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Roman said the studio needs to take the franchise in a different direction. "They've got to mix it up a little bit," said Roman, who suggested the studio move away from the original canon of characters. "They can't hang their shingle on Luke Skywalker and Han Solo forever." The "Solo" movie had been dogged by bad buzz after the directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord were fired more than halfway through filming. Their replacement, Ron Howard, reportedly re-shot more than 80 percent of the film. "It's good enough," said Roman. "But it's not epic. It's not 'Star Wars' epic." For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/solo-bombs-at-the-box-office).

Share:
More In Culture
Glassdoor Survey Finds Worker Sense of Burnout Surging in Last 18 Months
A Glassdoor report found mentions of "burnout" in online job reviews have increased by 100 percent over the course of the pandemic. Daniel Zhao, the senior economist for the company, talked to Cheddar about the underlying reasons workers have been expressing themselves about the state of their mental health. "That's really a reflection of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for almost 2 years now, and it's really dragged on," he said. "So workers are increasingly feeling like the lines between their work life and their home life are blurred, and they don't feel like they can get that same balance that they might have been able to get before the pandemic."
Analysts Expect Strong Tesla Earnings After Record-High Deliveries
Tesla's third-quarter earnings report is expected to beat expectations on both the top and bottom lines amid record-high delivery numbers. The electric vehicle giant hit a record high of 241,000 deliveries - strong numbers amid ongoing global semiconductor and supply chain shortages. This segment is brought to you by Webull. Download the Webull app and start learning, sharing, and investing.
'3M Young Scientist Challenge' Names New Winner
Middle school students from across the country battled it out for a chance at being crowned 'America's Top Scientist.' Each applicant had to submit a video to compete in the '3M Young Scientist Challenge' and describe a unique solution to an everyday problem for the chance to win $25,000. 10 finalists were chosen and after a two-day virtual competition, one walked away with the title. 14-year-old Sarah Park won the award, she joins Cheddar News to talk about her invention Spark Care+.
Netflix Show 'Squid Game' Worth an Estimated $900M
Netflix’s "Squid Game" has been the buzz of the entertainment world and according to Bloomberg, the series has an estimated value of $900 million to the streaming giant. So far, the film has hit number one in each country Netflix operates in.
Disney to Delay 2022 Film Releases Including Marvel Movies
Disney has announced that it is reworking the release schedule of its Marvel Cinematic Universe like "Black Panther 2" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." The delays were reportedly attributed to production issues and the theater date selection process amid the pandemic.
Why Sports Media Still Gets Failing Grade on Gender Diversity Report Card
The world of sports media continues to be a white-male dominated industry according to the latest Associated Press Sports Editors gender and diversity report card. For the sixth straight release of the report card, the industry received an F for its gender hiring practices. Jen Mueller, a Seattle Seahawks sideline radio reporter and entrepreneur, joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about some improvements she has witnessed over the span of her career but noted that while change has been evident on some level, much more needs to be done. Jen is also the founder of 'Talk Sporty to Me,' a professional development organization and you can learn more about it by visiting www.talksportytome.com.
Load More