| Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gareth Edwards |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | |
| Based on | Characters byGeorge Lucas |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Greig Fraser |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Michael Giacchino |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 134 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $200–280.2 million[2][3][4] |
| Box office | $1.059 billion[5] |
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a 2016 Americanepicspace opera film directed byGareth Edwards and written byChris Weitz andTony Gilroy. Produced byLucasfilm and distributed byWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the firstStar Wars anthology film and aprequel toStar Wars (1977).[a] It starsFelicity Jones,Diego Luna,Ben Mendelsohn,Donnie Yen,Mads Mikkelsen,Alan Tudyk,Riz Ahmed,Jiang Wen, andForest Whitaker. Set a week before the events ofStar Wars,Rogue One follows rebels who steal the schematics for theGalactic Empire's ultimate weapon, theDeath Star. It details theRebel Alliance's first effective victory against the Empire, as referenced in theStar Warsopening crawl.
John Knoll, who served as the visual effects supervisor of theStar Wars prequel trilogy, pitchedRogue One's story as an episode of the unproduced television seriesStar Wars: Underworld in 2003. He pitched it again as a film following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012; Edwards was hired to direct in 2014. Edwards sought to differentiateRogue One from previousStar Wars films and approach it as awar film, omitting the opening crawl and transitionalscreen wipes used in the main "Skywalker Saga" installments.Principal photography began atPinewood Studios,Buckinghamshire, in early August 2015 and wrapped in February 2016. The film went through extensivereshoots inmid-2016. The score was composed byMichael Giacchino, rather than the Skywalker Saga composerJohn Williams. With an estimated production budget of $200–280.2 million,Rogue One isone of the most expensive films ever made.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story premiered in Los Angeles on December 10, 2016, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 16. It received positive reviews, with praise for its acting, story, visuals, musical score, cinematography, and darker tone than previousStar Wars films, but criticism for its pacing and digital recreations ofCarrie Fisher andPeter Cushing.Rogue One grossed $1 billion worldwide, becoming thesecond-highest-grossing film of 2016, and received twoAcademy Award nominations forBest Sound Mixing andBest Visual Effects.Andor, a prequel television series, aired on the streaming serviceDisney+ for two seasons from 2022 to 2025.
Research scientist Galen Erso and his family are in hiding on the planet Lah'mu whenImperial weapons developerOrson Krennic arrives to press him into completing theDeath Star, asuperweapon capable of destroying planets. Galen's wife Lyra is killed in the confrontation while their daughterJyn escapes and is rescued by Rebel extremistSaw Gerrera.
Fifteen years later, cargo pilot Bodhi Rook defects from the Empire, taking a holographic message from Galen to Saw on the moonJedha.Rebel Alliance intelligence officerCassian Andor learns of the Death Star and Bodhi's defection from an informant at Kafrene. Jyn is freed from an Imperial labor camp on Wobani and is brought to the Rebels' base onYavin 4, where Rebel leaderMon Mothma convinces her to find Galen so the Alliance can learn more about the superweapon. Cassian is covertly ordered to aid Jyn but to kill Galen rather than extract him.
Jyn, Cassian, and reprogrammed former ImperialdroidK-2SO travel to Jedha, where the Empire lootskyber crystals to power the Death Star. In Jedha City, Saw and his partisans are engaged in an armed insurgency against the Empire, and Jyn and Cassian get caught in the crossfire. Aided by blind spiritual warriorChirrut Îmwe and his mercenary friendBaze Malbus, Jyn makes contact with Saw, who is holding Bodhi. Saw shows her the message in which Galen reveals he has secretly built a vulnerability into the Death Star. The schematics are located in an Imperial data vault on the planetScarif.
Onboard the Death Star, Krennic orders a test-fire, which destroys Jedha City. Jyn and her group take Bodhi and flee the moon, but accidentally leave Galen's message behind. Saw chooses to stay behind and dies in the explosion. Imperial governorGrand Moff Tarkin congratulates Krennic before using Bodhi's defection as a pretext to take control of the Death Star. Bodhi leads the group to Galen's Imperial research facility on the planetEadu, where Cassian hesitates to kill Galen. Rebel bombers then attack the facility; Galen is wounded and dies in Jyn's arms before she escapes with her group on a stolen Imperial cargo shuttle. Krennic is summoned byDarth Vader to answer for the attack on Jedha City. Krennic seeks his support for an audience with theEmperor, but Vader instead Force-chokes him to ensure no further problems occur.
Jyn proposes a mission to steal the Death Star schematics, but the Alliance Council feels there is no chance of victory. Frustrated at their inaction, Jyn's group leads a small squad of volunteers to raid the vault using the stolen Imperial shuttle, which Bodhi dubs "Rogue One." They gain entry through the planet's shield, and Jyn, Cassian, and K-2SO infiltrate the base while the others attack theImperial garrison as a diversion.
The Alliance learns of the raid from intercepted Imperial communications and deploys the fleet in support, engaging in a space battle against the Imperial forces. K-2SO sacrifices himself so Jyn and Cassian can retrieve the data. Chirrut is killed after activating the switch to allow communication with the Rebel fleet, and Baze is killed shortly afterward. Bodhi is killed by agrenade after informing the Rebel fleet that it must deactivate the planetary shield to let the plans be transmitted. RebelAdmiral Raddus uses anAlliance ship to crash two ImperialStar Destroyers into each other; the wreckage destroys the shield generator. Jyn obtains the plans but is ambushed by Krennic, who is shot and wounded by Cassian. Jyn transmits the plans to the Rebel command ship moments before the Death Star arrives above Scarif. Tarkin then orders the Death Star to destroy the citadel; Krennic is vaporized by the demolition beam, while Jyn and Cassian find themselves unable to escape the explosion, and embrace as they are killed in the ensuing shockwave.
The Rebel fleet begins to jump tohyperspace; however, many ships are intercepted by Darth Vader's Star Destroyer. Vader boards theRebel command ship and slaughters many troops in an attempt to reclaim the plans, but a smaller ship[b] escapes with them. Aboard the fleeing ship preparing to enter hyperspace,Princess Leia Organa declares that the plans will bring hope for the Rebellion.
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Jimmy Smits,Genevieve O'Reilly,Anthony Daniels, andJimmy Vee reprise their roles from previous films asBail Organa,[21]Mon Mothma,[22]C-3PO,[23] andR2-D2,[23] respectively; Vee is uncredited for his role.James Earl Jones also reprises his role from previous films as the voice ofDarth Vader,[24] who is physically portrayed bySpencer Wilding during the meeting with Krennic and aboard the Star Destroyer, and by Daniel Naprous at the end of the movie.[25][26][27]Grand Moff Tarkin andPrincess Leia Organa are played byGuy Henry andIngvild Deila respectively, with thedigital likenesses ofPeter Cushing andCarrie Fisher superimposed.[28][29] Henry also provides the voice for Tarkin, while archival audio of Fisher is used for Leia's dialogue.[30]Angus MacInnes andDrewe Henley are featured as Gold LeaderDutch Vander and Red LeaderGarven Dreis respectively, via unused footage fromA New Hope; MacInnes returned to record new dialogue for Vander, while new dialogue for the deceased Henley was assembled from archival material.[23][31][32][33] David Ankrum, who voicedWedge Antilles inA New Hope, reprises his role in a vocal cameo.[32][34]Ian McElhinney,Michael Smiley,Andy de la Tour, and Tim Beckmann play GeneralJan Dodonna,Dr. Evazan, General Hurst Romodi, and CaptainRaymus Antilles, respectively.[32]Warwick Davis plays Weeteef Cyubee, a member of Saw Gerrera's Partisans.[35]Dave Filoni reprises his role asC1-10P fromStar Wars Rebels.[36]Stephen Stanton voicesAdmiral Raddus, whilePaul Kasey appears in costume as the alien character on-screen.[37][38]
Duncan Pow playsRuescott Melshi,[39] a sergeant in the Rebel Alliance. Additionally,Alistair Petrie plays General Davits Draven,[10]Ben Daniels plays General Antoc Merrick,[40] andValene Kane plays Lyra Erso, Jyn's mother.[41]Jonathan Aris,[42]Fares Fares,[43][44] andSharon Duncan-Brewster appear as Senators Nower Jebel, Vasp Vaspar, and Tynnra Pamlo, respectively.Simon Farnaby plays a member of Blue Squadron.[23]Jordan Stephens appears as Rebel Alliance member Corporal Tonc.[23]Nick Kellington plays Bistan, a door gunner on a U-wing during the battle on Scarif.[45]Ian Whyte plays Moroff, a member of Saw Gerrera's Partisans.[46]Daniel Mays appears as Tivik.Rian Johnson andRam Bergman, director and producer ofStar Wars: The Last Jedi, respectively,cameo as two Death Star technicians.[47]
In 2003, during the production ofEpisode III in Sydney,John Knoll, the visual effects supervisor for all three prequels,pitched an episode for the unproduced seriesStar Wars: Underworld.[48] At the time, he had written a short treatment called "Destroyer of Worlds".[49] After the Disney acquisition he felt as though he had to pitch it again or forever wonder "what might've happened if I had."[50][51] In May 2014, Disney announced thatGareth Edwards would direct the film and thatGary Whitta would write the script.[52] In October of the same year, cinematographerGreig Fraser revealed that he was hired to work on the film.[53] In January 2015, it was revealed that Whitta had completed his work on the script, and would no longer be involved with the project.[54]Simon Kinberg was considered as a replacement.[55] Later that month, it was announcedChris Weitz had signed to continue the script's development for the film.[56] In March 2015, the titleRogue One was officially revealed.[57][c]
Edwards stated the style of the film would be similar to that of awar film, stating, "It's the reality of war. Good guys are bad. Bad guys are good. It's complicated, layered; a very rich scenario in which to set a movie."[59][60] Assuming Disney would not allow a dark ending, Edwards had the main characters surviving in the original version of the script. However, the producers opted for a more tragic ending and never filmed the original version.[61][62][63]
In May 2016, reports emerged the film would undergo five weeks of reshoots withTony Gilroy writing additional scenes, as well as acting as a second-unit director under Edwards.[64][65] With input from Edwards, Gilroy oversaw the edit and additional photography of the film which tackled several issues, including the ending.[66] In August, Gilroy was given screenplay credit alongside Weitz and was paid $5 million for his work on the film.[67][68] Additionally,Christopher McQuarrie,Scott Z. Burns, andMichael Arndt all contributed to the script at various stages in development.[69][70]
In July 2016, discussing whether the film would feature anopening crawl,Kathleen Kennedy said, "we're in the midst of talking about it, but I don't think these [anthology] films will have an opening crawl." Edwards explained that the film was "supposed to be different than the saga films," and that "This film is born out of a crawl. ... There's this feeling that if we did a crawl, then it'll create another movie."[71] In November 2016, Kennedy confirmed the film would not feature an opening crawl, instead beginning in "a way that is traditional, with just the title."[72]
At the 2016Star Wars Celebration, Edwards said that the film's title had three underlying meanings: "a military sign," referring to theRed Squadron fromA New Hope; "the 'rogue' one" of the franchise, given it is the first film to not be part of the main saga; and a description of Jyn Erso's personality.[73]
In January 2015,The Hollywood Reporter stated numerous actresses, includingTatiana Maslany,Rooney Mara, andFelicity Jones were being assessed for the film's lead.[74] In February 2015, it was announced that Jones was in final talks to star in the film, whileAaron Paul andÉdgar Ramírez were being eyed for the male lead role.[75] In March 2015, Jones was officially cast as Jyn Erso.[57] In March 2015, it was rumored thatBen Mendelsohn was being considered for a lead role.[76] The next month, it was reported thatSam Claflin was being looked at for an unspecified role, whileRiz Ahmed was in negotiations to join the film.[77] In May, Mendelsohn, Ahmed, andDiego Luna were added to the cast in lead roles of the film.[78][79]Forest Whitaker was cast in June 2015.[80] In July 2015,Jonathan Aris was chosen to play Senator Jebel.[81] Genevieve O'Reilly was cast as Mon Mothma, reprising her role fromStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.[22]James Earl Jones was confirmed to return as the voice ofDarth Vader in June 2016.[82]
Principal photography on the film began atPinewood Studios,[83]Buckinghamshire, on August 8, 2015,[84][85] where huge sets were built to complement scenes that were to be filmed elsewhere in the world.[86] The movie was shot usingUltra Panavision 70 lenses withArri Alexa 65 large format digital 6K[87] cameras.[88]
Filming also took place in various locations around the world. In Iceland, the crew shot in Reynisfjara, and around the mountains ofHjörleifshöfði andHafursey atMýrdalssandur, which were used to represent the Erso homestead on Lah'mu and the Imperial research facility on Eadu respectively.[89][90][91][92] Also used asfilming locations were theKrafla area with its volcanic crater[93] and aroundLake Mývatn's rock formations.[94] The islands ofGan and Baresdhoo of theLaamu Atoll in the Maldives, as well as the formerRAF Bovingdon airfield, were used to represent Scarif.[95][96]Wadi Rum inJordan and the fortification ofMasada inIsrael was used to represent Jedha.[97][98][99]Pymmes Park inEdmonton, London was also used for location filming,[100] and scenes set onYavin 4 were filmed atCardington Airfield.[90] Gareth Edwards selected theLondon Underground'sCanary Wharf station as a location for a chase scene in an Imperial base; the location shoot took place overnight, when the station was closed to the public.[101][102]
Early reports put the production budget of the film at $200 million.[5] After the film was released, according to reports based on tax filing in the United Kingdom, the film had spent an estimated total of $280.2 million and was eligible for UK film production tax breaks which brought the final net cost down to $232.4 million.[d][103][4][3]
On February 11, 2016, Disney executives stated the film was "virtually completed."[104] Several weeks of pre-scheduled reshoots began in June 2016.[105][106] Tony Gilroy, who was an uncredited writer on the film at the time, was hired to direct the reshoots and rework aspects of the film, earning him a screenwriting credit.[107][61][108] In 2023, Edwards disputed the reports that he was sidelined during the reshoots, saying that he remained heavily involved during the reshoots and worked with Gilroy.[109][110] The very last scene to be shot was Darth Vader attacking the rebels.[111] It was created by solely using digital tools.[112]
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) produced the film's visual effects. ILM usedCGI and digitally altered archive footage to insertPeter Cushing's likeness over the body of actorGuy Henry.[113] Lucasfilm secured permission from the late actor's estate to include him in the film.[114] The team searched through archival footage of Cushing footage in order to find suitable reference material,[115] and Henry provided themotion capture and voice work. A digital model of Cushing was mapped over Henry's performance like a digital body mask. Cushing's mannerisms, including his manner of speaking, were studied by the creative team and applied to the digital Tarkin model.[116] Cushing's estate was heavily involved with the creation and had input right down to "small, subtle adjustments."[117][118][114] A similar process was used in the portrayal of Princess Leia; Carrie Fisher's appearance as Leia in the first film was superimposed over the face of Norwegian actressIngvild Deila and archival audio of Fisher saying "hope" was used to voice the character.[28][29][119]
Post-production of the film wrapped on November 28, 2016.[120]
It does borrow from traditions that bothJohn Williams and George Lucas borrowed from when they made the originalStar Wars, you know. George was looking atFlash Gordon, the old serials, and John was looking atGustav Holst and different composers along the way to get a baseline for what he wanted to communicate. There is a wonderful musical language that John put together for the original films. I wanted to honor that vernacular but still do something new with it, something that was still me in a way.
In March 2015, it was reported thatAlexandre Desplat who had worked with Edwards onGodzilla (2014), would compose the score forRogue One,[122] and had confirmed it in an April 2016 interview.[123] As the film's reshooting affected the post-production process, Desplat opted out from the project due to his commitments for scoringValerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), and was replaced byMichael Giacchino in September 2016.[124] Giacchino only had four and a half weeks to compose the music for the film, beginning almost immediately after finishing scoringDoctor Strange.[121] In addition to composing original themes, Giacchino incorporated some of John Williams' themes from previous films into the score.[121] The official soundtrack was released byWalt Disney Records on December 16, 2016.[125] An extended version of the soundtrack was released on February 11, 2022, which includes additional demos composed for the film score, and cues that were not included in the album, or being un-edited.[126] A vinyl edition was further released by Mondo in March 2022.[127][128]
Promotion ofRogue One was initially delayed by the release of the filmMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in July 2015, because the titles were deemed too similar.Paramount Pictures registered and cleared the title with theMotion Picture Association of America in January 2015, well before Disney announced the title of its forthcomingStar Wars spinoff. Disney and Lucasfilm had to reach an agreement with Paramount over promotion in order to avoid any confusion in the public mind. Disney agreed toembargo promotion onRogue One until after mid-2015, with the exception of a very short teaser which was screened at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim that year.[129]
Ateaser trailer forRogue One, released by Lucasfilm on April 7, 2016,[130] was praised by reviewers for its portrayal of strong female characters.[131]The Daily Telegraph describedJyn Erso's character as "a roguish,Han Solo-style heroine," calling the film "progressive," while noting its painstaking faithfulness to theproduction design style of theoriginalStar Wars trilogy.[132]The Hollywood Reporter also noted the visual nods to the original trilogy, and examined the film's possible narrative direction, considering that the outcome is to some extent already revealed in the opening crawl ofA New Hope.[133]The Atlantic writer David Sims stated that the trailer brought "back some memorable pieces of architecture, from the lumberingAT-AT walkers to the Death Star itself, not to mention the glorious 70s costuming ofStar Wars." He added that the trailer has "the look," blending the old with the new.[134] The trailer was viewed close to 30 million times in its first 29 hours, at a rate of 800,000 views per hour, from Facebook and YouTube, which is 200,000 views short of what the first teaser trailer forStar Wars: The Force Awakens was receiving in November 2014.[135]
In June 2016,Rogue One was promoted at theStar Wars Celebration Europe III event in London.[136] During the event, a new official poster was unveiled, which depicts a battle taking place on the tropical planet Scarif, with the Death Star looming large in a blue sky, above which is printed thetagline "A Rebellion Built on Hope". A second teaser trailer was screened exclusively at the event, and it was reviewed favorably by critics;The Daily Telegraph noted that the trailer revealed new locations such as the planets Jedha and Scarif, and that its most significant revelation came in the final seconds of the teaser, with the appearance of Darth Vader, reflected in a computer screen and accompanied by his classic breathing sound effect.[101]Variety also hailed the Vader reveal, and noted that the emphasis of the production was much more on the kinetic depiction of large battle sequences and full-on warfare, comparing it toFrancis Ford Coppola's 1979Vietnam War epicApocalypse Now. Ashowreel was also shown during the event, which featured footage from the film, cut with behind-the-scenes shots and interviews with the director and cast members.[137] The second trailer was shown publicly during a broadcast of the2016 Summer Olympics and received positive responses;Wired stated that the trailer was "littered with nostalgic throwbacks to the original trilogy," whileRolling Stone described the CGI landscape shots seen in the footage as "eye-poppingly gorgeous."[138][139]
A further trailer released in October 2016 promptedThe Hollywood Reporter to comment that the newly revealed footage looked like "a trailer to a different movie than the one advertised earlier," remarking that Jyn Erso appeared to be portrayed as a more vulnerable character, and highlighting the appearance of Galen Erso as a protective father figure.[140]Vanity Fair also commented on the emphasis given to Jyn's relationship with her father, suggesting thatRogue One was drawing on "theStar Wars franchise's greatest natural resource: daddy issues."[141]
The film's publicity tour began in Mexico on November 23, 2016.[142]
In Asia, Disney focused marketing efforts onDonnie Yen, with his individual poster being used for marketing in territories including Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand,Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The officialStar Wars Facebook page of the respective Asian countries also featured clips and videos of Donnie Yen speaking various languages, greeting fans and telling them to support the film. Disney also released various versions of international trailers with more footage of Yen.[143][144]
A tie-in novel to the film,Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, was released on November 15, 2016.[145] Written by veteranStar Wars novelistJames Luceno, the story is set some years before the events ofRogue One, and provides a backstory to the 2016 film.[146] Thenovelization of the film was written by Alexander Freed, and released on December 16, 2016.[147]
Months after the film was released,Lucasfilm Press published two further novels, titledStar Wars: Rebel Rising andStar Wars: Guardians of the Whills on May 2, 2017.Rebel Rising was written byBeth Revis, and explains what happened to Jyn Erso between the time her mother died and the day when rebel agents freed her from an Imperial labor camp, a time period that the film skips over in its opening minutes.[148]Guardians of the Whills was written by novelist and comic writerGreg Rucka, and focuses on the characters Chirrut and Baze, telling their backstories as well as giving more context to the events that happened on Jedha prior to the Imperial occupation depicted in the film.
Months after the film was released,Marvel Comics adapted the film into a six-part comic book miniseries, which adds extra content.[149] In August 2017,IDW Publishing announced that it would make a one-shot graphic novel adaptation of the film, which was released one day after the Marvel miniseries' collection was released. Unlike the Marvel miniseries, this graphic novel will have slightly morecartoonish visuals.[150][151]
In the same month, Marvel Comics released theStar Wars: Rogue One – Cassian & K-2SO Special, a non-canon 40-page one-shot comic focusing on the first meeting between Cassian Andor and K-2SO. The comic was written by Duane Swierczynski and pencilled by Fernando Blanco.[152]
A downloadable expansion pack forStar Wars Battlefront (2015), titledRogue One: Scarif, was released in December 2016, and added content based on the film, including new game modes, a map based on the planet Scarif, and Jyn Erso and Orson Krennic as playable characters.[153] A free virtual reality mission forPlayStation 4 was also released alongside the expansion.[154] A Rogue One Play Set was also planned for the gameDisney Infinity 3.0 as a purchasable expansion pack. However, it was scrapped alongside the cancellation of the series.[155] A free update forStar Wars Battlefront II (2017) was released in April 2020, adding a different Scarif map and otherRogue One-inspired content.[156] Several characters and concepts from the film were also included in the mobile gamesStar Wars: Force Arena,[157]Star Wars Commander,[158] andStar Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.[159]
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Rogue One premiered at thePantages Theatre in Los Angeles on December 10, 2016.[160] The film was released in certain European countries on December 14, 2016, in North America on December 16, and in China on January 6, 2017.[161]
Rogue One was released onDigital HD on March 24, 2017, and byWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment onBlu-ray,Blu-ray 3D, andDVD on April 4.[162] The film made a revenue of $81.1 million with nearly 4 million units sold, making it the third best-selling title of 2017 behindMoana andBeauty and the Beast.[163] It was also released onUltra HD Blu-ray on March 31, 2020, whilst also being reissued on Blu-ray and DVD.[164]
To promote the release ofAndor, Disney re-releasedRogue One into over 150IMAX theaters across the United States and Canada on August 26, 2022, featuring an exclusive preview of the Disney+ series ahead of its three-episode premiere on September 21, 2022.[165][166]
Rogue One grossed $534.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $523.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $1.059 billion.[5]Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $319.6 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participation, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it third on their list of 2016's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[2]
In late November 2016, box office projections for the United States and Canada had the film grossing $100–150 million during its opening weekend.[167][168] Disney chairmanBob Iger noted that Disney and Lucasfilm did not expectRogue One to matchThe Force Awakens' total gross of $2.1 billion, nor its $248 million opening.[169] Pre-sale tickets for the film went on sale at 12:01 am EST on November 28, 2016. Within 10 minutes, ticket sale sites such asFandango crashed, much like they had in advance ofThe Force Awakens the year prior.[170] In its first 24 hours, the film had the second-highest number of pre-sale tickets ever sold, behind onlyThe Force Awakens.[171] Worldwide, the film was expected to gross $280–350 million in its opening weekend.[172]
In the United States, the film made $29 million from its Thursday night previews, making it the highest-grossing Thursday opening of 2016. On Friday, the film grossed $71.1 million, and $46.3 million the next day, securing a total of $155.1 million in its opening weekend, the third-biggest debut of 2016.[172] It topped the box office once again in its second weekend, grossing $64 million (down 58.7%) over the three day weekend, and $96.1 million over the four day weekend. On Christmas Day, it grossed $25.9 million.[173] It finished first at the box office again in its third weekend, grossing $49.6 million (−22.5%) over the three-day weekend and $65.5 million over the four-day weekend.[174] In its fourth weekend, Sunday projections had the film grossing $22 million, besting newcomerHidden Figures' $21.8 million. However, final figures the following day revealed the film tallied a weekend total of $21.9 million, falling to second place behindHidden Figures' $22.8 million.[175] The IMAX re-release of the film on August 26, 2022, made $1.1 million over the weekend, bringing its running IMAX total to $105 million, 10th all-time.[176]
The film has received generally favourable reviews, praising its aesthetics and narrative. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 461 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Rogue One draws deep onStar Wars mythology while breaking new narrative and aesthetic ground and suggesting a bright blockbuster future for the franchise."[177] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score 65 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[178] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, whilePostTrak reported film goers gave the film a 91% overall positive score.[172][179]
IGN reviewer Eric Goldman gave the film 9 out of 10, describingRogue One's storytelling being related to the plot ofStar Wars (1977) as a "tricky gambit", but praised it for being clear and connected. He also enjoyed the visual aesthetic, which he opined helped establish its own identity, and praised the performances of Jones, Luna, and Tudyk. He disliked the film's connection to otherStar Wars films, disliking the use of digital effects to recreate a character from the original trilogy, deeming it as "uncanny valley."[180]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone affirmed the film as being reminiscent of the original trilogy, and enjoyed Edwards' direction and the pacing. He especially enjoyed Jones' performance and the action sequences in the third act, although he felt the film's exposition slightly undermined character interactions. Travers went on to give the film 4 stars.[181]/Film ratedRogue One an 8 out of 10, with writer Peter Sciretta enjoying the darker tone, action sequences, Giacchino's score, and felt it retroactively improvedStar Wars by providing additional context and backstory. Sciretta wished the film focused on further characterization, which he felt was neglected due to the ensemble cast and runtime.[182]
Justin Chang, writing for theLos Angeles Times, praised Fraser's cinematography and also enjoyed the action sequences, feeling its storytelling would "immediately ascend to classic status" and justified its existence. He particularly emphasized the cast, and commended the performances of Yen, Luna, and Jones; he defended the ensemble cast from criticism by contending it highlighted the film's anti-fascist themes. Chang also speculated that the film had faster pacing due to wanting to avoid criticisms of slow pacing from the prequel trilogy.[183]Peter Bradshaw, a film critic ofThe Guardian giving a 4-star rating, enjoyed the film for providing "muscular and adroit" variations on familiarStar Wars elements and themes in addition to the depiction of the Death Star. He also offered general praise for cast performances, including that of Mikkelsen, Mendelsohn, Jones, Tudyk, Yen, and Luna, but felt the film did not "go rogue at any stage" and considered it to be released during the cultural zeitgeist ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).[184] In another 4-star review forThe Guardian,Mark Kermode further praised the cast, enjoying the diversity and positively compared Jyn's character to that ofEllen Ripley from the filmAliens (1986). He also praised the cinematography of the battle scenes, which he described as being evocative of theNormandy landings andVietnam War, and felt the standalone nature of the film allowed it to raise the dramatic stakes during the third act.[185]
In a more critical review,The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday regarded the film as being simplistic and a "placeholder", comparing its imagery toMad Max: Fury Road (2015) andArrival (2016). She positively regarded the visual aesthetic, Giacchino's score, and darker tone, but thought the plot was unoriginal and lacked the tone of previousStar Wars films. That said, she regarded the film as superior to the prequel trilogy.[186] Giving a C+ grade,IndieWire's David Ehrlich similarly regarded it as "a spirited but agonizingly safe attempt to ... to keep the wheels greased between proper installments". He lauded the opening scene and final act, saying the latter reminded him ofStar Wars "as we remembered it", and praised the set design and visuals as "gorgeous." He also enjoyed how the film reconciled narrative elements between the original and newerStar Wars films, but felt the lack of interesting character development and requirement to adhere to pre-existing narratives was to its detriment.[187]A. O. Scott andRichard Brody, writing forThe New York Times andThe New Yorker respectively, more heavily scrutinized the film and gave negative reviews. Both felt that it did not expand upon theStar Wars mythos, criticized the script, and considered the film to ultimately not justify its existence.[188][189] Scott regarded the film as being "mediocre" and primarily critiqued the plot and thematic content, which he believed to be underdeveloped.[188] Meanwhile, Brody, who went on to call it "lobotomized and depersonalized," felt Edwards overlooked many aspects ofStar Wars lore. Brody positively regarded Fraser's cinematography, and considered it his favorite element of the film, but was not affected by the death of major characters as he was not emotionally invested in their story.[189]
Rogue One introduced many new characters into theStar Wars mythology, with Chirrut Îmwe, played byDonnie Yen, and K-2SO, played byAlan Tudyk, being the most popular. In a poll on the officialStar Wars website in May 2017, in which more than 50,000 people voted, Chirrut Îmwe was voted as the most popularRogue One character.[190]
George Lucas was reported to have enjoyed the film more thanThe Force Awakens; upon hearing this, Edwards said, "I can die happy now."[191]
The film was praised for its exploration ofethics in engineering; in a reviewer's words, "the core ethical arc of the film is one man's decision to engineer the Death Star in such a way as to prevent its use for galactic domination. One could fairly re-title the movie to 'Rogue One: an Engineering Ethics Story.'"[192][193][194]
James Seddon, writer for the military news websiteTask & Purpose laudedRogue One as theStar Wars film that best reflects real military experience. Many details resonate with his own military service and seem real to veterans: "The spacecraft rattle annoyingly. Places where hands would naturally grab, or gear would rub, have the paint worn off. Cockpit windows are scratched, and, if the sunlight hits them wrong, they are hard to see through. Headphones get hung on a convenient grab rail and not on the hanger designed for them—if there even was a hanger. Apparently, designers of military vehicles in galaxies far, far, away have also never actually operated them in the field." He also pointed to aspects beyond the film's production design, like rebel Lt. Sefla'smuzzle discipline, the "bitter stoicism" predominant among characters who "spend most of their time wet, uncomfortable, afraid, and bickering" even as they work diligently to complete their mission, and the moral ambiguity of some of the rebels' actions.[195]
In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition ofThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 176.[196]
While much of thecomputer-generated imagery (CGI) received positive reviews, some news organizations published criticism about certain aspects, including thevisual effects that were used to revivePeter Cushing, who had died in 1994, asGrand Moff Tarkin.[197]The Guardian's Catherine Shoard described the "resurrection" as a "digital indignity."[198] Joseph Walsh ofThe Guardian raised legal and ethical issues about bringing a long-dead actor to life.[199] Lucasfilm had obtained permission from Cushing's estate before deciding to use his likeness.[114]The Washington Times' Eric Althoff rejected the entire concept of using CGI to recreate a deceased actor: "Alas, what we get is, basically, not a simulation, but an approximation of a simulation—a dead character portrayed by a living actor inhabiting not the character, but imitating the dead actor."[200] In September 2024,Kevin Francis, who had been a personal friend of Cushing for many years prior to his death, filed a lawsuit against Disney for “Unjust Enrichment”, claiming that Cushing had made clear that he did not want his likeness reused without his consent.[201]
Some journalists also criticized the quality of the CGI that was used to represent a youngerCarrie Fisher in order to portrayPrincess Leia at an earlier time, as well as its suitability in movie-making.[28][29] Eliana Dockterman ofTime wrote that "there was something particularly plastic about this version of the young Carrie Fisher—so smooth and so perfect it couldn't be real—that pulled me out of the moment."[202] Kelly Lawler ofUSA Today said that "while Tarkin is merely unnerving, the Leia cameo is so jarring as to take the audience completely out of the film at its most emotional moment. Leia's appearance was meant to help the film end on a hopeful note (quite literally, as 'hope' is her line), but instead it ends on a weird and unsettling one."[203] Michael Cavna ofThe Washington Post described the facial effect as feeling "distractingly artificial and nearly alien, like a plastered death mask robbed of authentic actorly effect, well beyond the usual artifice ofBotox."[204] For her part, Fisher was shown the CGI rendition of her younger self for the film by Kathleen Kennedy and "loved it."[205]
 | This sectionis in a table format thatmay be better if supplemented withprose. You can help by adding a prose summary of the table(s).Editing help is available.(August 2024) |
Rogue One received twoAcademy Award nominations forBest Sound Mixing andBest Visual Effects.
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | February 26, 2017 | Best Sound Mixing | David Parker,Christopher Scarabosio andStuart Wilson | Nominated | [206] |
| Best Visual Effects | Neil Corbould,Hal Hickel,John Knoll andMohen Leo | Nominated | |||
| British Academy Film Awards | February 12, 2017 | Best Makeup and Hair | Amanda Knight,Neal Scanlan andLisa Tomblin | Nominated | [207] |
| Best Special Visual Effects | Neil Corbould, Hal Hickel, John Knoll, Mohen Leo and Nigel Sumner | Nominated | |||
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | February 18, 2017 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action | Joel Iwataki, Nick Kray, David Parker, Frank Rinella, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson | Nominated | [208] |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | February 21, 2017 | Excellence in Fantasy Film | Dave Crossman andGlyn Dillon | Nominated | [209] |
| Dragon Awards | September 3, 2017 | Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie | Rogue One | Nominated | [210] |
| Empire Awards | March 19, 2017 | Best Film | Won | [211] | |
| Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actress | Felicity Jones | Won | |||
| Best Male Newcomer | Riz Ahmed | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Gareth Edwards | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design | Rogue One | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Nominated | ||||
| Best Make-Up and Hairstyling | Nominated | ||||
| Best Visual Effects | Nominated | ||||
| Hugo Awards | August 11, 2017 | Best Dramatic Presentation – Long form | Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy | Nominated | [212] |
| Location Managers Guild Awards | April 8, 2017 | Outstanding Locations in Period Film | Mark Somner and David O'Reily | Nominated | [213] |
| Outstanding Film Commission | "Jedha" –Royal Film Commission Jordan | Won | |||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | May 17, 2017 | Movie of the Year | Rogue One | Nominated | [214] |
| Best Hero | Felicity Jones | Nominated | |||
| Ray Bradbury Award | May 20, 2017 | Outstanding Dramatic Presentation | Chris Weitz, Tony Gilroy and Gareth Edwards | Nominated | [215] |
| Saturn Awards | June 28, 2017 | Best Science Fiction Film | Rogue One | Won | [216] |
| Best Director | Gareth Edwards | Won | |||
| Best Writing | Chris Weitz andTony Gilroy | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Felicity Jones | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Diego Luna | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Michael Giacchino | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | John Gilroy, Colin Goudie andJabez Olssen | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Doug Chiang and Neil Lamont | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | David Crossman and Glyn Dillon | Nominated | |||
| Best Make-up | Amy Byrne | Nominated | |||
| Best Special Effects | Neil Corbould, Hal Hickel, John Knoll and Mohen Leo | Won | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | August 13, 2017 | Choice Sci-Fi Movie | Rogue One | Nominated | [217] |
| Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor | Diego Luna | Nominated | |||
| Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actress | Felicity Jones | Nominated | |||
| Visual Effects Society Awards | February 7, 2017 | Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature | Neil Corbould, Erin Dusseault, Hal Hickel, John Knoll and Nigel Sumner | Nominated | [218] |
| Outstanding Animated Performance in a Photoreal Feature | "Grand Moff Tarkin" – Cyrus Jam, Sven Jensen, Jee Young Park and Steve Walton | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature | "Scarif Complex" – Enrico Damm, Yanick Dusseault, Kevin George and Olivier Vernay-Kim | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project | "Space Battle" – Steve Ellis, Barry Howell, Euising Lee and John Levin | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project | "Princess Leia" – Paul Giacoppo, Gareth Jensen, James Tooley and Todd Vaziri | Nominated | |||
| "Star Destroyer" – Marko Chulev, Steven Knipping, Jay Machado and Akira Orikasa | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature | "Jedha Destruction" – Luca Mignardi, Ciaran Moloney, Matt Puchala and Miguel Perez Senent | Nominated |
On November 8, 2018, it was announced that a live-action prequel series was officially in development and set to air on Disney's streaming service,Disney+. The series takes place five years before the events inRogue One and focuses on Cassian Andor withDiego Luna reprising the role.[219] The first season debuted on September 21, 2022, and focuses on Cassian's involvement in the Rebellion.[220] The second and final season debuted on April 22, 2025,[221] with its series finale released on May 13.[222] Streaming ofRogue One saw a boost coinciding with the release and conclusion of the series.[223]
$280,200,000
While the actor has the body role, just like his predecessor in the originalStar Wars filmsDavid Prowse, the voice of Lord Vader is actor James Earl Jones.
Jonathan Aris will play Senator Jebel. Nope, we have no idea who that is either.
Rogue One's original ending was one such cutting-room casualty.
The revelation that the original ending was much different probably explains a lot about how different the trailers were from the final product. Fans have noticed many scenes in the original spots did not appear in the final film.
Jones [...] on the want list, although there may be scheduling issues with Inferno, the Da Vinci Code sequel
Among the largest sets built at Pinewood was the mountainous planet of Eadu
During our sit down with ... Gareth Edwards ... old lenses and new digital environments.
This event contrasted the analog technologies developed for the first STAR WARS released in 1977 with the all-digital toolsets used to create ROGUE ONE released in 2016.
... the effect ends up showing the limitations of the technology. It's also distracting: As you ponder what, exactly, is off about this not-human-enough figure—something in the facial movements—you begin to lose track of the plot.
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