'Rogue One' tops New Year box office take; places as second highest grosser in 2016

Rogue One easily topped box office records for the New Year weekend, adding $50 million on the first three days of the four-day holiday, proving the strong pull of the force in the tills in its third consecutive week.

The installment in the Star Wars franchise also finished the year strong as it placed second overall in the list of blockbuster hits of 2016. Rogue One, unlike the other Star Wars movie was tailored as a spinoff and set before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, meaning that it can be digested as a standalone that is still connected to the same universe .

Rogue One finished 2016 with a little over $400 million domestically, but the final numbers are yet to be determined as the film is still being aired in many cinemas. The top performer for the year is Finding Dory, Disney's sequel to its 2003 animated hit Finding Nemo, the Guardian reported.

The forgetful blue fish voiced by Ellen Degeneres swam her way into the hearts of movie audiences and earned itself $425 million.

While Star Wars fans continue to support the current Star Wars movie, which incidentally featured CGI versions of characters Princess Leia, who was played by franchise icon Carrie Fisher who recently succumbed to a heart attack, and Grand Moff Tarkin, who was portrayed by Peter Cushing, who died in 1994, fans are wondering how the death of Fisher will affect the future of the franchise.

According to a report by ABC, Fisher will be seen on screen one last time for the upcoming Star Wars installment - Star Wars Episode VIII, which is expected to release by December 15, 2017. The movie reportedly completed  filming for the movie last July.

But Leia's fate in the franchise remains in the balance. Disney and Lucas Film could kill her off in the next installment or opt to recast the character but it will definitely have a major impact on the story arcs that have been previously mapped out for the franchise.