In just a few short days Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is going to smash into theaters, break records and easily nab the top spot on the box office chart. But even though we have no doubt that Skywalker will be next week’s number one film, that doesn’t mean this week isn’t providing some interesting results too. There’s plenty to dig into here.
First of all, Frozen 2 is no longer the number one film in the country, instead slipping down to number two with an impressive $19,182,000. Remember, this is the film’s fourth weekend so those are damn fine numbers. As if you expected anything different. But, no, Frozen 2 relinquished the coveted top position to Jumanji: The Next Level, which came in at number one with a terrific $60,100,000. Hey, that’s damn good. Estimates had the film coming in at around $45-$50 million so it’s obviously off to a great start. That’s encouraging to Sony because there have been a few sequels and reboots lately (Charlie’s Angels, Maleficent 2 and Zombieland 2: Double Tap come to mind) that haven’t delivered. Of course, Jumanji 2 is a movie that has a much bigger audience than the films I mentioned above and its predecessor made nearly $1 billion at the box office. But, hey, you never know! There was a chance that The Next Level could have tanked. That certainly isn’t the case. These numbers are also wonderful considering that, as I have mentioned multiple times, The Rise of Skywalker is going to steal all the oxygen in the room next weekend. So Jumanji better enjoy it while it can.
It wasn’t all good news this weekend. Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell didn’t come out strong, bringing in $5 million and taking the fourth spot. That means Jewell is Eastwood’s worst debut for a directorial outing and really, really missed the mark. This film wasn’t an easy sell. It’s dark and depressing and doesn’t exactly leave viewers with smiles on their faces — basically a typical Eastwood film. But adult audiences have been pretty generous lately so it was expected that Jewell would do better. It’s also a supposed Oscar contender and is directed by the iconic Mr. Eastwood. So why didn’t people turn out? Like I said, the bleakness probably didn’t help. You don’t really want to see a movie about the Atlanta Olympics bombing and the awful aftermath while doing your holiday shopping. Festive holiday fare Richard Jewell certainly is not. Plus, Eastwood is definitely a draw for many but mostly when it’s him on screen, not behind the camera. You’ll note that many of his directorial features haven’t exactly gobbled up a lot of money lately. People like Clint Eastwood but they mostly like watching him.
Then there’s Black Christmas, the holiday-themed horror remake that only managed to scrounge up $4,420,000. Not great! Christmas time is obviously a tough period for horror movies but Universal was hoping for more. They saw Black Christmas as great counter-programming for those who weren’t interested in Jumanji or Frozen 2 but the audience just wasn’t there. The reviews were so-so, the audience interest was low. It just isn’t happening for Black Christmas.
Elsewhere, Knives Out is sticking around strongly. The movie is an undeniable success story and continues to impress. A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood and Ford v Ferrari are still trucking along too with Ford now this close to $100 million. See, Richard Jewell, grown-ups do like movies too!
We all know what opens next weekend. The only question about Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker is just how much it’ll make. Estimates are reporting that the movie could open to a number north of $200 million. That is, for lack of a better term, a shit-ton of money.
