‘Star Wars’: ‘Solo’ Writer Wonders How Film Would’ve Fared In December

Jon Kasdan, who co-wrote the screenplay for Solo: A Star Wars Story with his father Lawrence Kasdan is wondering about how the film would’ve performed at the box office if it was released in December instead of Memorial Day Weekend of 2018.

With major blockbusters such as Aquaman, Bumblebee and Mary Poppins Returns in theaters just in time for Christmas, Kasdan tweeted that he’s wondering about how the film would’ve fared if it were hitting theaters this weekend:

Since the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 18, 2015, Disney and Lucasfilm seemingly established a new normal for when films in the franchise would be hitting theaters. For over 40 years, fans have been accustomed to the films releasing in May, but The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Last Jedi have all been released in December in their respective years to major box office success, with many other studios competing against Disney feeling a bit weary.

However, despite the tumultuous production on Solo, Disney decided to keep the film in its May 25, 2018 release date. Unfortunately, the film was a massive disappointment at the box office and since its release, many have wondered how differently things would’ve turned out if they instead pushed the film to December much like the previous three Star Wars films.

Obviously, Disney had already scheduled Mary Poppins Returns for that December release date and both Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures have set Aquaman and Bumblebee respectively in December as well, but Lucasfilm’s recent track record with their Star Wars releases have garnered enough power for rival studios to consider switching around their release dates given the predicted box office returns.

In the meantime, Disney and Lucasfilm are looking to move on from 2018, which has been a bit of a bumpy year for Star Wars beyond the disappointing box office performance of Solo. In particular, the fanbase has been significantly polarized following the release of Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi and unfortunate stories of toxicity in the fandom have arisen, but it looks like 2019 will be an opportunity to change that narrative for the better.

Lucasfilim will be releasing their next film, Star Wars: Episode IX on December 20, 2019.