“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” has caused division among fans and critics. Reviewers seem to be mixed, leaning toward the negative. Audience members seem to enjoy it, though.
- What’s going on: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” hit movie theaters nationwide Thursday night. Reviews from the film were published a few days beforehand as the media screenings happened on Tuesday and the world premiere happened on Monday.
- Initial viewings from the premiere were mixed. Reviews released Wednesday also presented mixed results.
- Rotten Tomatoes released its initial critic score Wednesday. The score ranked at 58% of 305 reviews.
Yes, but: Audiences appear to be loving the new film. It currently ranks at 86% with 9,205 reviews.
Where it ranks: Here’s a look at where it ranks in terms of audience score on Rotten Tomatoes:
- “Empire Strikes Back” — 97%
- “A New Hope” — 96%
- “Return of the Jedi” — 94%
- “The Force Awakens” — 86%
- “The Rise of Skywalker” — 86%
- “Rogue One” — 86%
- “Revenge of the Sith” — 66%
- “Solo” — 63%
- “The Phantom Menace” — 59%
- “Attack of the Clones” — 56%
- “The Last Jedi” — 43%
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Takeaway: The audience score and the critics scores are vastly different for “The Rise of Skywalker,” and that makes sense. Many of the critics suggested the film does a lot to pander to fans with callbacks, cameos and references to previous Star Wars products. Clearly, fans have an appreciation for this new movie, ranking it nearly as high as “The Force Awakens.”