It still feels like the Jumanji films being smash hit sis some kind of fluke. Films based on board games aren’t supposed to be this fun and enjoyable and run away with the box office but with the stellar $60.1 million opening of Jumanji: The Next Level its very clear that this isn’t a fluke. The sequel opened better than the original, which pulled in $52.7 million and received great reviews from critics and audiences alike.
Of course, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle‘s real triumph was its stunning longevity. It stayed in the top ten for far longer than most films and rolled through January like it had just opened, eventually landing nearly $1 billion worldwide. We’ll have to wait and see if The Next Level can keep that pace up but even with The Last Jedi landing this weekend it this is a big win for Sony and a fantastic start to December for the movie industry.
Well, that’s not entirely true. The other two major releases this week, Black Christmas and Richard Jewell, did nowhere near as well. The film is mired in controversy and has hardly any Oscar buzz and there’s plenty of better adult film options out there. The result was a paltry $5 million from over 2,5000 theaters. Black Christmas pulled in just $4.4 million. That’s pretty paltry even for a Blumhouse film, whose entire strategy is to make cheap films that bring in small returns.
1. Jumanji: The Next Level – $60,100,000
2. Frozen 2 – $19,182,000
3. Knives Out – $9,250,000
4. Richard Jewell – $5,000,000
5. Black Christmas – $4,420,000
6. Ford v. Ferrari – $4,143,000
7. Queen & Slim – $3,600,000
8. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – $3,355,000
9. Dark Waters – $2,000,000
10. 21 Bridges – $1,190,000
