LOS ANGELES -- 。 The Force Awakens。, it was not -- but。 Rogue One 。got away clean with $155 million at the North American box office this weekend, a robust start that guarantees the first Star Wars "story" will not be the last.。

The $155 million figure makes。 The $155 million figure makes。Rogue One。 the third highest grossing domestic weekend opener of 2016, behind 。Captain America: Civil War。 ($179 million) and。Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice。 ($166 million). It's also the 12th highest bow of all time, sandwiched between 。The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 。 ($147 million in 2013) and。The Hunger Games。

($152 million in 2012). 。

SEE ALSO:Let's discuss that epic 'Rogue One' ending
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Mark this down as a not overly spectacular -- but certainly robustly good-enough -- launch for Disney's plan to annualize its Star Wars franchise entries, including stand-alone "stories" that don't quite factor into the central Skywalker saga.。 Throw in other X-factors like new/unfamiliar characters, a female lead in Felicity Jones and a production that saw the studio seize control from director Gareth Edwards for a series of spendy reshoots -- just part of the process folks, not the controversy you're looking for, move along -- and it's safe to say that 。Rogue One。

Rogue One。's mission was a success.。Mashable Top StoriesStay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter。

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By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.。 Thanks for signing up!。Rogue One: A Star Wars Story..Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones)..Ph: Film Frame ILM/Lucasfilm..©2016 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.Credit:。 Worldwide,Rogue One
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took in $290.5 million for the three-day frame, according to studio estimates obtained by。 Mashable。on Sunday.。 Where 。Rogue One 。 winds up on the 2017 charts for total grosses should be an interesting case study: It should have long enough legs to catch No. 5。 Deadpool 。

, which hauled in $363 million after 18 weeks in release -- but has almost no hope of touching fellow Disney release。 Finding Dory,which stayed in movie theaters for 25 weeks on its way to a whopping $486 million domestic.
。 Of course,Rogue One 。

never had a chance at playing like last year's。The Force Awakens 。 -- and no one expected as much. That franchise homecoming celebration posted the highest opening weekend in history at $250 million in North America, a staggering result that was driven mostly by male moviegoers (64 percent) and instant-repeat business.。Rogue One。

Rogue One。 also boasted the second-best December domestic opening, behind only
。The Force Awakens。 , of course. 。The 23 percent Saturday-to-Sunday dropoff for。 Rogue One 。was far steeper than that of 。

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The Force Awakens。

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(11 percent), which also posted a record $60 million for Thursday night late shows, a number that 。

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Rogue One。

needed Thursday night and all of Friday to hit. 。Featured Video For You。'Star Wars: Rogue One' exclusive featurette。TopicsStar Wars
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