No argument about the media jumping all over a situation like this. They eat this stuff up, and Solo's an easy target because of its backstage drama about fired directors, reshoots, cost overruns, etc. Disney was certainly hoping for a bigger debut, but they also knew this movie had a lot of strikes against it they couldn't do anything about. At least it got good reviews; it'll build up a fan base on home viewings, and Ron Howard has nothing to apologize for. No film series can hit financial home runs every single time indefnitely: That's impossible.