In news that should surprise precisely no one,[EP05] Lovely Ladies Dormitory Star Wars: The Last Jediis poised to become the proud owner of 2017's biggest opening weekend at the U.S. box office.

Take a moment to process this not-at-all-unexpecteddevelopment. I'll wait.

Sunday estimates point to a massive $220 million weekend, giving The Last Jedi's first days in theaters a commanding lead over the previous 2017 chart-topper among domestic releases: Beauty and the Beast.

The live-action remake nabbed $174.8 million in its first three days. Even if the current Last Jediestimates fall short, there's virtually no chance of it finishing the weekend with less than what Beautypulled in.

The Last Jedialso cements what has been an astoundingly successful year at the movies for Disney. As if the company's looming acquisition of 21st Century Fox properties isn't enough, The Last Jedialso cements Disney's ownership of four of the top five opening weekends in 2017: In addition to Star Warsand Beauty, there's also Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (#3, with $146.5 million) and Thor: Ragnarok(#5, with $122.7 million).

The only non-Disney outlier, at #4, is Warner Bros. It, with $123.4 million. The adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel is a trailblazer on its own, as the top horror movie of all time at the box office.

Hilariously, the one domestic opening weekend record The Last Jedicouldn't crack is one that's already held by a Star Wars. The all-time biggest opening in the U.S. belongs to The Force Awakens($248 million), the 2015 release that launched the latest trilogy and delivered Disney's first post-George Lucas vision of the Star Warsuniverse.

The opening numbers for The Last Jedialso give Disney its thirdconsecutive $2 billion-plus year. NBD, right?

Now we'll wait and see what kind of staying power The Last Jedihas. The Force Awakensran in theaters from Dec. 18, 2015 until late May 2016, amassing a domestic total of $936.7 million during its U.S. theatrical run. Will The Last Jedieven come close to that? We'll have to wait and see.