*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).
Bobby Berk, designer, author, and star of Netflix's "Queer Eye," joined Cheddar News to talk about his new partnership with Lowe's Hometowns, a program to help projects across the nation over five years and with $100 million in funding to give aid to selected communities. Bobby Berk nominated “My Friend’s Place”, a shelter for homeless LGBTQ teens in Los Angeles. "I was homeless when I was a teen. I left home because I had to come out, and to be able to give back to these people who are going through the same things that I went through, it just means so much," he said.
In recognition of National Women’s Day, the pharmaceutical company Organon is giving all of its employees the day off. Geralyn Ritter, head of external affairs and ESG, for the women's therapeutics business, joined Cheddar News to discuss its call to action and its platform to grow awareness regarding specific health challenges women face. “We need to be more aware of the disproportionate impact that a tremendous number of stressors have on women and that includes broader global events from climate change to the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine with miles-long lines of women and children," Ritter said. "We simply have to make a decision that this is not acceptable anymore."
Ukrainians can't escape, six million COVID deaths, and 'The Batman' saves the box office. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Monday, March 7, 2022.
The pandemic, chip shortages, and now war. Automakers around the world have been getting slammed, and it now seems like things could get worse. Several car manufacturers have announced they are halting sales or shutting down factories in Russia after nations around the world moved to tighten sanctions against the country. Lisa Whalen, Auto and Mobility Analyst for Morning Consult, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Shared EV service Revel raised $126 million in a Series B round. Revel first came on the map in 2018 with its shared electric moped service in New York City, which has since expanded to other cities on the east coast. The company also operates an all-Tesla ride-hailing service in Manhattan.
Now, it is looking to expand its network of EV fast-charging stations, which the company calls super-hubs. Frank Reig, CEO of Revel, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
There will soon be another, lower-cost subscription option for Disney+ — but with commercials. Disney will launch the new ad-supported tier for its streaming service in the U.S. later this year and internationally in 2023, but so far there is no word on an exact launch date or price for the new service option. Tal Chalozin, co-founder and CTO of online ad tech company Innovid, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what the news could mean for the next chapter of the streaming wars. "I wouldn't say that are worried about subscriber growth, but they have big goals to fill," he said. "They need to go to the mid-market or the longer tail. An ad model, always proven that that that's the way to go to mass market in television."
During a time of chaos, Americans might be finding it harder than ever to relax. Author Deepak Chopra joined Cheddar News to discuss his new book, "Abundance: The Inner Path to Wealth," for his readers to find peace from within. “I focused only on one thing, and that is what is fundamental reality," he said. "And once you know that fundamental reality is not your mind, not your body, it's your spirit." He also suggested music for National Day of Unplugging, which falls on March 4.
