No surprise that Jumanji: The Next Level topped the box office. However, it came in higher than analysts thought it would, with a strong $60.1 million (strong $14,218 per-venue average). In comparison, Welcome to the Jungle opened a week later on the calendar to $36 million, but held like a 90's pic through February. In that case, given the goodwill of its' predecessor, it would make sense for Next Level to open stronger. It was a solid idea for Sony to have this open a week ahead of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Jungle opened a week after The Last Jedi). Reviews were solid, while audiences gave it an "A-" CinemaScore. While there are plenty of options for families coming up (including three PG-rated films), multiple films tend to play well over the Christmas stretch so Jumanji should remain strong through New Year's. Whether or not it matches its' predecessors' $405 million domestic finish remains to be seen, but this is still a strong start.Overseas, Level did very strong business, with another $86 million after a $29 million launch in China last week. Worldwide, its' at $210 million in two weeks. Its' pacing ahead of Jungle in most markets, which went on to earn $960 million worldwide. Will this one get above $1 billion? Right now, its' too early to tell. But, even if it doesn't match its predecessor, it would still be a strong hit above $500 million. The budget here was $130 million, and Sony was expecting a $35 million debut this weekend.
After three weeks at #1, Frozen 2 slid to second, but it continued its' strong run. The Disney sequel was off 46% to $19.2 million, for a huge $366.5 million pick-up in 24 days. The animated blockbuster should pass its' predecessors' $400 million final gross by around Christmas Day if not a couple days later. Christmas Break will be lucrative for the film also. But, overseas proved to be huge news, as the film became Disney's sixth(!) movie of 2019 to pass the $1 billion mark. Standing at $1.033 billion, it should make its way past $1.2 billion by the time its' finished.
Holding strong in its third frame, Knives Out was down 35% to $9.3 million for a very good $78.9 million pick-up in 17 days. The Rian Johnson flick should make it past $100 million and perhaps even higher. Overseas numbers have been surprisingly strong too, with the worldwide gross at nearly $165 million so far, with sights on $250-300 million. For an original flick costing $40 million to produce, this is a huge result.
The other two new releases failed to entice adults, or perhaps got lost in the midst of many other films aimed for the same audience. Delivering a record low for Clint Eastwood, Richard Jewell only could muster $5 million in its launch (weak $1,998 per-venue average), less than half of the $10-12 million expected by analysts. The political thriller also was not helped by some controversy about one of the film's characters' depictions. Reviews were solid (but not awards season worthy, though Kathy Bates is getting Supporting Actress buzz), while audiences gave it an "A" CinemaScore. On a $45 million budget, distributor Warner Bros. is likely to lose money on this one.
Meanwhile, audiences showed little interest in another remake of Black Christmas, which pulled in just $4.4 million in fifth place (pathetic $1,683 per-venue average). That's also way behind the $10-12 million expected from it. Based on a 1974 horror thriller (and in turn the 2006 remake), the Universal flick did have a lighter $5 million budget. So, in the end, it should be able to break even (with a little change so far earned from overseas territories). But, I'm sure this is not what the studio was hoping for the Blumhouse production given the Christmas season timing.
Ford v Ferrari continued chugging along, down 38% in its fifth frame to $4.1 million. Matt Damon and Christian Bale have conned $98.2 million in one month of release, along with another $90 million overseas. Queen and Slim held fairly well once again, off 46% to $3.6 million, for a decent $33.2 million in 17 days, and should reach $40 million by the time its' done. Meanwhile, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood continues to get lost in the shuffle a bit. However, it did hold better than the past week, down 36% to $3.4 million, for a moderate $49.3 million pick-up in 24 days. The Mr. Rogers biopic will hope to reach $60 million, which would be fine but below where Sony and analysts were expecting.
Clearly not benefiting from a lack of awards season buzz, Dark Waters fell 50% in its second nationwide frame to $2 million, for a disappointing $8.9 million gross since its limited launch 24 days ago. Rounding out the list was 21 Bridges, which fell 59% to $1.2 million, and has earned a very disappointing $26.4 million in 24 days.
That's about it. Look for a review of The Aeronauts later today, followed by a review of The Elephant Queen by mid-week and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on Friday. Predictions post coming Thursday. :) Hope all has a great week.
