Overall business went up 3% from this same weekend last year, which was topped again by Aquaman and Mary Poppins Returns.
As expected, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker easily remained on top. While it didn't hold spectacularly, it did do better than The Last Jedi (which was off 68%). The final installment was off 59% in its sophomore frame to $72 million, for a huge $361.8 million pick-up in 10 days. Skywalker had a very similar sophomore hold to another franchise installment, Rogue One, which also fell 59%. Even more impressively, Skywalker has made up a lot of ground to Jedi, standing just $6.5 million behind its' predecessor now ($368.2 million through the same amount of time, though that was through Christmas Eve, so its' not a clear apples-to-apples comparison). With one more week of break, Skywalker should remain the top choice for audiences remaining off from school.
Overseas continues to be strong, with the worldwide gross already at $725 million in just two weeks. Skywalker will very likely join the $1 billion club after the New Year, but how high it will go beyond that remains in question. It should hold the top spot for one if not two more weekends depending on how it holds.
With Christmas in full swing, most other holdovers jumped up from last week. Jumanji: The Next Level jumped 33% from last week to $35.3 million, for a very strong $175.5 million gross in 17 days. It should have a very good week, before falling a bit more down to earth after next weekend. I think it stands a good chance at getting above $300 million for its' final gross, but reaching its' predecessors' $400 million does seem like a bit too hard of a stretch. Overseas, its' at $460 million worldwide with plenty more to go.
Sony had second and third place (well, at least a tie for third) this weekend with their Little Women reboot opening to very solid results. Greta Gerwig's (Lady Bird) possible Oscar contender earned $16.5 million over the three-day portion of the weekend (decent $4,995 per-venue average), for a $29 million gross since its Wednesday start. That's higher than the low-20's millions predicted by many analysts. And with strong reviews and an "A-" CinemaScore, it looks like the kind of film that will play well beyond New Year's. We will have to keep a close eye on this one.
Disney technically tied Sony for third with their animated blockbuster Frozen 2. Up 27% from last week, the sequel earned another $16.5 million, for a very strong $421.3 million pick-up in six weeks of release. It passed the original Frozen's $400.7 million final gross (unadjusted) a few days ago, and is set to finish with at least $450 million stateside, if not higher. Overseas, it passed $1.2 billion, where it remains on track to eventually pass its' predecessors' $1.276 billion worldwide finish.
Meanwhile, matching expectations in fifth place was another animated effort aimed at the kiddie crowd, Spies in Disguise. Disney's release of the Blue Sky Studios film pulled in $13.2 million over the weekend (very mild $3,769 per-venue average), for a $22.1 million five-day launch. The weekend launch itself was in line with the studio's last film, Ferdinand. While not a strong start per se, it does have one more week with kids before they head back to school (plus an extended weekend a couple weeks later) to look forward to. It earned $16 million overseas this weekend too, and an "A-" CinemaScore from audiences.
Having the best jump over the weekend surprisingly wasn't a kid-driven film. Murder mystery Knives Out jumped 50% from last weekend to $9.7 million, for a very strong $110.2 million pick-up in one month of release. With strong word-of-mouth, the Rian Johnson flick has also been a success overseas, with another $105 million earned internationally.
The biggest surprise this weekend, however, was in how well Uncut Gems played. The R-rated dramedy pulled in $9.5 million over the traditional weekend, for a surprising $20 million pick-up since its limited launch last weekend. With Adam Sandler earning Oscar buzz (for the first time ever) for this film, audiences seemed curious about this effort. And while the film isn't getting great reception from audiences ("C+" CinemaScore), it's awards season buzz may keep it afloat in the coming weeks (its' also worth noting that Idina Menzel has two films in the Top 10, as she plays a supporting role here too).
Universal, meanwhile, was hoping that audiences would catch up to their adaptation of the famed Broadway musical Cats. That didn't happen, as it was instead off 27% to $4.8 million, for a very weak $17.8 million pick-up in 10 days. It's also earned only $20 million overseas. Against a $100 million budget, this is now guaranteed to be one of the year's biggest box office bombs. It may even have a hard time reaching $30 million if it drops like a rock after New Year's.
Also struggling with a lot of films aimed at adults, Bombshell was down 8% in its second nationwide weekend to $4.7 million. With a light $15.6 million in three weeks since its limited release and not much awards season buzz, the Fox News drama doesn't look like its really connecting with audiences.
Rounding out the list was another adult film not connecting. Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell did increase 17% from last weekend, but to a weak $3 million. It's at a disappointing $16.1 million in 17 days, and looks like it will struggle to get to $25 million here, with little chance of making up ground overseas.
And that's about it. Next weekend, the New Year officially begins with (as usual) a horror flick, a reboot of The Grudge that is anyway. It will be the last box office post for the blog for awhile, as I prepare to put this site on hiatus. Look for reviews of Little Women and more between now and then, as well as a predictions post on Friday. Hope all has a great week! :)
