Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 23 deceMber 2019
‘Rise of Skywalker’ opens with $175.5 million; ‘Cats’ flops

NEW YORK (AP) — The films have been. It grossed by George Lucas. In 2012,
Force was a little less strong $12.1 million there. Disney acquired Lucas-
with “Star Wars: The Rise of Though it proved divisive film for $4 billion. While its
Skywalker.” J.J. Abrams’ with fans, 2017′s “Last of stewardship of “Star Wars”
Skywalker finale couldn’t the Jedi,” directed by Rian has drawn mostly praise
match its recent predeces- Johnson, opened with $220 and enormous box-office
sors on opening weekend, million. Abrams’ own “The proceeds, “The Rise of Sky-
but it still amassed a $175.5 Force Awakens” set a then- walker” trailed both the
million debut that ranked record in 2015 with a $248 much-debated “Last of
far, far away from all but a million debut. the Jedi” and the 2018 dud
dozen films. Such expectations did not “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
“The Rise of Skywalker” await Tom Hooper’s ad- In November, Disney chief
This image released by Disney/Lucasfilm shows Daisy Ridley as came in with worse re- aptation of Andrew Lloyd executive Bob Iger told in-
Rey in a scene from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." views than any “Star Wars” Webber’s “Cats.” The vestors that “Star Wars” will
Associated Press movie except for 1999′s much ridiculed big-screen go “into a hiatus” after “Rise
“The Phantom Menace,” musical, featuring infamous of Skywalker.” The next
which famously heralded “digital fur technology,” “Star Wars” movie, not one
the debut of Jar Jar Binks. scratched out just $6.5 mil- in the Skywalker saga, isn’t
“The Rise of Skywalker” has lion in ticket sales, sending scheduled for release until
a 57% fresh score on Rotten Mr. Mistoffelees (and Uni- 2022. “Game of Thrones”
Tomatoes. Audiences, too, versal Pictures) home lick- makers David Benioff and
were relatively lukewarm ing their wounds. D.B. Weiss recently pulled
to the movie, giving it a B+ The $100 million produc- out of planned “Star Wars”
CinemaScore. tion, featuring an ensemble trilogy.
That response may have including Jennifer Hudson, Lately, “Star Wars” has
muted what could have Judi Dench, James Cor- been a more emphatic
been a record-setting den, Idris Elba, Ian McKel- hit on the small screen.
weekend. While Disney len and Taylor Swift, came “The Mandalorian” helped
had cautiously estimated in well behind projections. It launch the Disney Plus
about a $165 million open- opened in a distant fourth streaming service.
ing, analysts had pegged place. But Disney can still make
“The Rise of Skywalker” for Holdovers “Jumanji: The considerable demands
around $200 million. Next Level” and “Frozen 2” on theaters for “Star Wars”
“The Rise of Skywalker” both surpassed “Cats.” films. Disney charges the-
pulled in $374 million world- “Rise of Skywalker” culmi- aters 65% of ticket sales,
wide, according to studio nated a tumultuous period or about 10% more than
estimates Sunday. The film in “Star Wars,” finishing off standard, for “Star Wars”
was especially lackluster both a trilogy and nine-film releases, and requires a run
in China, as all “Star Wars” cycle begun 42 years ago of four weeks.q

Banksy takes politically charged

Nativity scene to Bethlehem

like a star. The piece is dis-
played at the "Walled Off
Hotel," a Palestinian guest-
house in Bethlehem that
was designed by Banksy
and is filled with his artwork.
Wisam Salsaa, the hotel
manager, said the British
artist recently sent the new
piece to the hotel.
"We see there is a scar," he
said. "A hole on the wall
marks the wall and the life
in Bethlehem."
The hotel, which overlooks
the separation barrier, sar-
A new artwork dubbed "Scar of Bethlehem" by the artist Banksy
is displayed in The Walled Off Hotel, in the West Bank city of castically boasts "the worst
Bethlehem, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. view in the world." Since
Associated Press its opening in 2017, it has
become a popular tourist
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) just in time for the busy draw. "Banksy is trying to re-
— The mysterious street Christmas season. mind the world that people
artist known as Banksy The artwork, named "Scar of Bethlehem, where Christ-
has displayed a politically of Bethlehem," depicts the mas was started, are not
charged Nativity scene in birth of Jesus under Israel's celebrating Christmas like
Bethlehem, the town re- West Bank separation barri- the rest of the world," he
vered as Jesus' birthplace, er with a bullet hole shaped said.q