Solo, Star Wars Fatigue, and the Summer So Far

When is being on track to make $100 million opening weekend a disappointment? When your film has "Star Wars" in its title. It's Memorial Day Weekend, meaning the Box Office gets an extra day to pad its stats and still, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is underwhelming projections.

I've seen it — and will review it Wednesday — and it's fine. It's arguably the weakest of the new wave of "Star Wars" films but better than the prequels. It's entertaining and not quite the train wreck that some of the production press led you to believe. But it's not a revelation, either. And coming only about five months after "The Last Jedi," which was a masterpiece, that's not good enough.

Projections prior to the weekend had the film in the range of $133-$146 million, but so far it has underwhelmed. It will be No. 1 at the Box Office, and as I said should still make it to $100 million. But the question is what does this mean for the Golden Goose that is "Star Wars," and what does it portend for the summer.

I'll look at each below.

Star Wars Fatigue?
When the Walt Disney Company bought Lucas Film, it was a banner day. It meant we'd finally get to see "Star Wars" continue, and we'd get to see it done right. And when "The Force Awakens" debuted 10 years after the last prequel, that dream seemed to be fulfilled. It wasn't a perfect film, but it was what fans hoped.

But the announcement came with the idea that we'd see a new "Star Wars" film every year from now on. At the time, that seemed cool. But now we're four years into the experiment, and it's fair to wonder if the old model of three years between films — or at the very least a little break — might be better off spaced out a little.

There was a lot of potential with a Han Solo film, and perhaps the production issues played into the lukewarm reception. Again, it's a fine film but not spectacular. And the rumors of poor performances, and the change of director didn't help. But it still feels like it should have been a home run, and it isn't. That's because in November 2015 we only had six "Star Wars" films total in 38 years. Now, we have 10 in 41 years. When you always get something new, it ceases to be special.

We're seeing a burnout in superhero films, too, and if this path continues it will be the same with "Star Wars." We still have Episode IX next year, a Boba Fett film, and a whole new trilogy from Rian Johnson that has been announced. A mediocre "Star Wars" movie is still better than most any other movie. But with the frequency of release they aren't a special event anymore. And that's a shame.

The Summer of '18
"Solo: A Star Wars Story" also brings to a close the first month of summer. And as it's been a bit underwhelming at the Box Office, so has the month of May. "Solo" and "Deadpool 2" have been fine. "Avengers" has continued to do well at the Box Office, but has drawn some polarizing reactions. And the comedies have filled the gaps. But it hasn't been a spectacular start to the summer season, and it's worth considering if that will be the case as we continue through the rest of the summer.

There are some tent poles coming. The most notable is "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," which opens in June. And it could still be the sizzling summer blockbuster that audiences are seeking. But time will tell if this summer can still have punch at the Box Office.

The first few weeks haven't been inspiring, but it's still early yet.