'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' tipped for $200 million US opening weekend

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker could be heading for a $200 million opening weekend in the US, according to box office boffins.

Tracking data, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is currently hovering around $175 million to $200 million (around £154 million) mark.

But rather than ending the trilogy on a high, these figures put it a chunk below its galactic predecessors, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

Read more: New pics from The Rise of Skywalker

The Force Awakens, buoyed by the yawning, decade-long gap between Star Wars movies, landed a storming $248 million opening weekend in the US in 2015.

Then The Last Jedi managed $220 million on its release in December 2017, potentially putting this grand finale in third place.

The Rise of Skywalker will also have competition in the form of Jumanji: The Next Level, which lands in cinemas a week earlier – the first movie scored nearly $1 billion worldwide.

A $200 million opening would put it substantially behind record-breaker Avengers: Endgame, which launched to $357 million in the US, but still among just seven movies to have ever topped $200 million in their opening weekend.

So while it's down on the first two movies, it's still an impressive sum, and it could still well surpass expectations.

Read more: George Lucas finds it ‘hard to let go’ of Star Wars

Star Wars: The Force Awakens went on to make $2.06 billion at the box office, with The Last Jedi making $1.3 billion.

The final episode in the current trilogy will – it's hoped – reveal the truth about Rey's mysterious origins, as the resistance gears up for a climactic battle with The First Order.

Starring Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong'o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker lands in the UK on December 19.