i'm of the opinion that if ep2 is darker and more interesting than ep1, not that i'm criticising ep1, it hink it has sent the scene well, but the people who watched ep1 will watch it once or twice and then the SW fans will go back and watch it again and again, I know I will. I know I watch ep1 over and over again as i do with all of the films.
I don't think the amount of money it makes matters. People were saying that Titanic was one of the greatest films ever made purely because of the money it made, but now it's basically forgotten.
Star Wars will always be THE biggest films around because of the way it takes over everything. It's mentioned on T.V shows, other Films, Comics, Songs, Cartoons. It completley takes over. Just look at how many times you've heard people make Darth Maul references on T.V since TPM was released. That type of thing ensures that SW remains the biggest.
Even if Ep2 made $5 it would still be mentioned everywhere. People will still be making Princess Leia hair jokes long after The Matrix, Lord of the Rings and Titanic are forgotten, so even if it bombs at the box office it doesn't really matter.
But saying all that I still think it will be massive because-
Yoda Fights
There is a doomed romance
Christopher Lee is a type of villain that a lot of people haven't seen for a while.
The effects will be great
The sabre fights will be great
The action scenes will be great
Jar Jar will entertain the kids
Mace Windu will blow everyone away
Lots of Jedi in action at the same time will rock
and lastly it's Star Wars!
Because it's Lord of the bloody Rings, KJ! Something that had an enormous following before GL was even born! Something that did for books what Star Wars did for film! That is still continually voted as the best book of all time more than 80 years after its release!
STar Wars did an impressive thing by JOINING LOTR in the ranks of unforgettable stories. Let's give them bot credit.