'Rogue One' Could Reach $145 Million On Opening Weekend

Walt Disney Co’s DIS "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is scheduled for release on Friday and is set to open on around 6,500 screens.

Given surging demand, additional screens would likely be added by the opening day, Loop Capital Markets’ David Miller said in a report. He maintained a Buy rating, with a price target of $113.

Citing advance sales data so far, Miller estimated the "Rogue One" opening at $130.0 million. He added “the whisper number on this opening keeps going up” and that it was currently at $145.0 million. "Rogue One" is estimated to generate $550.0 million in DBO [digital box office] and $1.05 billion in global box, which is about 50 percent lower than the final tally for "Star Wars The Force Awakens".

The Remaining Titles

Investors should consider “the whole comprehensive slate over the next eight quarters, not just Rogue One,” Miller noted." Beauty and the Beast" live action reboot, "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" [releasing May 5], "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" [releasing May 26] and "Cars 3" [releasing June 16] were the other titles to look out for.

“Titles to look forward to in F2018, which looks far more powerful in terms of earnings generation, are Thor 3, Black Panther, Wreck-It-Ralph 2, Avengers 3, Ant-Man 2, The Incredibles 2, the as-yet-untitled Han Solo Anthology film, and as if that weren't enough, Star Wars Episode 8,” the analyst wrote.

Miller projected 9 percent revenue growth and 24.5 percent EBIT growth at the Studio for F2018, saying that this should allow Disney to “get back to the mid/high teens earnings growth bogie that DIS investors have enjoyed in the past.”