Han Solo is Harrison Ford. Except in Solo, he’s relative newcomer Alden Ehrenreich, meaning it’s a familiar character in unfamiliar skin. Early reports that Ehrenreich was receiving acting lessons as LucasFilm were not satisfied with his performance didn’t reassure fans that this was a Han they could get behind.
In fact, viewers and critics have reported positively to Ehrenreich’s performance, as well as Donald Glover’s as Lando Calrissian and Emilia Clarke as new character Qi’Ra – but the bad press no doubt sapped the enthusiasm out of casual cinema goers.
If you can keep track of how many Star Wars-related films or series are coming up, you’ve earned the right to be in one, we reckon. Since the franchise’s return in 2015, we’ve had a new flick every year. In 2019, the last in the Skywalker trilogy (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi) will be released and 2020 will see that Boba Fett film. Worth baring in mind that Boba appears on screen for less than 10 minutes in the original trio. Talk about niche appeal.
But there’s more. Last year, it was announced that Rian Johnson would be making a new trilogy of Star Wars films that are unrelated to Luke Skywalker. This in addition to a new series of films, unrelated to the aforementioned, by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Basically there’s going to be one every year until you die. Outside of the dedicated fan base, it’s hard to imagine regular cinema-goers feeling the enthusiasm to set sail on a new Star Wars trilogy. The underwhelming Solo opening numbers are surely proof of that.
Disney executives have already admitted that launching Solo just four weeks after the biggest film of the year Avengers: Infitinity War probably wasn’t a great idea. “There’s a question of frequency, and how many times people will go to the movies. Is this too much and too soon for a third time in a five-week period?” Disney chief Dave Hollis told Hollywood Reporter. Perhaps there was a bigger crossover between Avengers: Infinity War and Solo cinema-goers than anticipated that impacted fans willingness to shell out again for more tickets.
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