Disney responds to 'The Last Jedi's low audience score

'The Last Jedi' is on a roll at the box office and the critics can't stop raving about the eighth installment in epic sci-fi franchise 'Star Wars'.

Despite getting great reviews, the film hasn't fared as well with the overarching general public who have seen the movie.

The flick is the joint lowest rated in the episodic 'Star Wars' series to-date, on a par with 2015's 'The Force Awakens'.

Addressing the elephant in the room that is the negative audience reaction, Dave Hollis, who serves as president of theatrical distribution at Walt Disney Studios responded to the low scores and shared that the conversations this film sparks will lead to good word-of-mouth for the holiday weekend next week, reports Deadline.

The statement read, "Rian Johnson, the cast, and the Lucasfilm team have delivered an experience that is totally 'Star Wars' yet at the same time fresh, unexpected and new. That makes this a 'Star Wars' film like audiences have never seen - it's got people talking, puzzling over its mysteries, and it's a lot to take in, and we see that as all positive, that should help set the film up for great word-of-mouth and repeat viewing as we enter the lucrative holiday period."

Whether or not the low audience scores will hurt repeat viewings of the film or lead to a steep second-weekend drop remains to be seen. However, it's clear Disney and Lucasfilm aren't panicking yet.

Though, a low audience score hasn't stopped 'The Last Jedi' from raking in big numbers and shatter records. The movie went on to earn USD 220 million in the first three days of its release and marked the second-best opening weekend of all time.

Internationally, director Rian Johnson's tentpole took in USD 230 million from 54 markets for a worldwide launch of USD 450 million.

'The Last Jedi' is just the fourth film in history to have an opening of more than USD 200 million, joining 'The Force Awakens', 'Jurassic World' (USD 208.8) and 'The Avengers' (USD 207.4).

Helmed by Rian Johnson, 'The Last Jedi' stars Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Oscar Issac, Adam Driver and late Carrie Fisher in pivotal roles.

-ANI