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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Friday’s openings: It’s a ‘Solo’ project

Dan Webster

Way back when, at the time producers were working out their summer movie-release schedule, one thing was pretty clear: Nobody wanted their movie to go up against anything remotely "Star Wars."

Which is why "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is the only big-name movie set to open on Friday. Other movies are likely to premiere, too, but nothing approaching a blockbuster.

So, Friday's movie national openings look like this:

"Solo: A Star Wars Story": Another "Star Wars" spinoff, 'Solo" is an origin story for the franchise's most roguish character. Alden Ehrenreich, who was so good in the Coen Brothers' 2016 film "Hail, Caesar!" fills the title role originated by Harrison Ford. Expect a bit of criminal activity and lots of space-pirate action.

Oh, and Ron Howard directs (having taken over the reins from the original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller of "The Lego Movie" fame). So there's a backstory here that might affect how the movie is received. But … more on that at another time.