Sony Pictures' Jumanji: The Next Level had an incredible opening weekend with $60 million earned domestically. The sequel to 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle smashed through previous opening projections which put the film's earnings in the $45 to $50 million range. Produced by Matt Tolmach, Jake Kasdan, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia, Jumanji: The Next Level no doubt brought theatergoers their way with a returning cast led by Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, and Nick Jonas and cast additions Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, and Danny Glover.
The success of Jumanji: The Next Level is even more notable considering it has officially outdone Welcome to the Jungle. Back in 2017, Welcome to the Jungle earned $36 million domestically and left theaters with $404 million earned domestically and $962 million worldwide. This opening weekend for Jumanji: The Next Level is an early sign this sequel will likely hit those marks during its theatrical run and could even surpass. The film averaged $14,218 per theater (whew!) from 4,227 locations total.
After scooping up $19.4 million from Thursday night previews and Friday combined, the Sony release brought in another $23.4 million domestically on Saturday. Not only has Jumanji: The Next Level won big in its opening weekend, but it has scooped up a few honors over the weekend, too. It's $19.4 million domestic opening day marks the biggest December opening day for Sony Pictures and the highest December opening of all time for a comedy.
As for the other newcomers this weekend, Richard Jewell and Black Christmas, well, they decidedly did not have the same weekend Jumanji: The Next Level had. Coming in at number four was Warner Bros.' Richard Jewell, starring Paul Walter Hauser, Kathy Bates, and Sam Rockwell and directed by Clint Eastwood. The movie scooped up $5 million domestically, with an average of nearly $2,000 per theater from 2,502 screens total. Richard Jewell's opening weekend total marks the worst opening ever for an Eastwood-directed joint, with 1997's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil previously holding that unlucky title with its $5.2 million domestic opening weekend. As for the number five film of the weekend, Universal's Black Christmas, $4.4 million was earned domestically for the Sophia Takal-directed remake of the 1974 slasher of the same name. Even though it's been saddled with a D+ CinemasScore and divided critical reviews, the latest Black Christmas did better than the 2006 reboot starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, which earned $3.7 million during its December 15 opening weekend.
Elsewhere, Disney's Frozen II officially passed the $1 billion mark in worldwide earnings. The number two movie of the weekend added a total of $19.2 million domestically to its coffers, bringing its to-date domestic total up to $366.5 million. Overseas, the pic earned another $55.7 million from 48 territories. This brings its to-date international total up to $666 million. The top five highest-grossing international markets are: China ($111.5M), Korea ($85.4M), Japan ($67.3M), the UK ($49.6M), and Germany ($39.9M). Knives Out, the number three movie this weekend, it doing A-OK with $9.3 million added to its domestic total, which now sits at $79 million. The Rian Johnson-directed pic has also hit $162.2 million worldwide since its release overseas, with its international earnings now at $83.3 million and $13.6 million of that earned this weekend.
The rest of the top 10 movies from this weekend include Ford v. Ferrari, Queen & Slim, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Dark Waters, and 21 Bridges. Ford v. Ferrari is currently hanging out at number six with $4.13 million earned domestically while number seven's Queen & Slim raked in another $3.6 million domestically, dipping 46% in its total since last weekend. Number eight's A Beautiful Day put $3.4 million in the bank, bringing its domestic total up to $49.3 million. Number 9's Dark Waters, directed by Todd Haynes and starring Mark Ruffalo, fell 50% from last week and earned just $2 million. At number 10 is STX Entertainment's 21 Bridges, which brought in $26.3 million domestically.
Looking ahead to next weekend, Jumanji: The Next Level's lead in the box office race will inevitably be short-lived. Why? Because Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will officially arrive in theaters on December 20 but will begin its run, unofficially, with early screenings on December 19. The final installment in the Skywalker saga is expected to be the highlight of the December moviegoing season both here and abroad. Buckle up, folks, it's gonna be a wild ride.
Rank |
Title |
Weekend |
Total |
1. |
Jumanji: The Next Level |
$60,100,000 |
$60,100,000 |
2. |
Frozen II |
$19,182,000 |
$366,542,072 |
3. |
Knives Out |
$9,250,000 |
$78,927,248 |
4. |
Richard Jewell |
$5,000,000 |
$5,000,000 |
5. |
Black Christmas |
$4,420,000 |
$4,420,000 |
6. |
Ford v. Ferrari |
$4,143,000 |
$98,247,794 |
7. |
Queen & Slim |
$3,600,000 |
$33,174,870 |
8. |
Beautiful Day/Neighborhood |
$3,355,000 |
$49,329,891 |
9. |
Dark Waters |
$2,000,000 |
$8,889,174 |
10. |
21 Bridges |
$1,190,000 |
$26,361,366 |