the first installment in the series to lose money at the box office. It ended its run earning only $392.8 million worldwide against a budget that ballooned past the $250 million mark.

That unprecedented development forced Lucasfilm to hit the pause button and re-evaluate their strategy for Star Wars moving forward. Other planned anthologies for characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Disney is planning for a slowdown after Episode IX debuts next December. As for Star Wars 9, there's pressure on it to not just end the Skywalker saga on a high note, but also prove Solo's performance was a fluke. The franchise may not need a massive course correction despite its tumultuous past year, but Lucasfilm is still doing what they can to ensure another Solo situation doesn't happen.

Related: The Last Jedi's Trailers Created The Star Wars Backlash

In Variety's report about Episode IX director J.J. Abrams seeking a substantial deal to develop multimedia projects for a studio, they briefly touch on the  Star Wars film:

"He’s [Abrams] currently working on Star Wars: Episode IX, which has been billed as a course correction at Lucasfilm after spinoff films like Solo failed to meet the label’s high commercial expectations."

It is vital for viewers to be cognizant of what exactly Lucasfilm is attempting to correct here. Abrams has already stated Rogue One. Going by the box office results of those films, Disney is looking at another member of the $1 billion club. The company's marketing department will also be out in full force generating hype with a prolonged campaign that spans months (hitting the same beats of Episode IX's predecessors) instead of squeezing everything into a shortened period of time.

While it's great Lucasfilm is managing Episode IX much better than Solo, Abrams' latest is also a film that practically sells itself. It's the final chapter of a story audiences have been following for more than four decades and will definitely be positioned as a must-see cinematic event. That's a far cry from a Han Solo origin story, which, while generally well-received, wasn't exactly in high demand. Episode IX is also going to be the first new Star Wars movie after a 19-month gap, meaning general audiences will be primed and ready for another trip to the galaxy far, far away.

More: Every Star Wars 9 Update You Need To Know

Source: Variety