Each week on Atom Insider, we break down the box office numbers for all of the biggest films opening in theaters. This week, Jumanji: The Next Level failed to be a level up for many critics, but audiences were certainly game, while the same can’t be said for Richard Jewell and Black Christmas.
This Week’s Top Earner – ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’
The sequel to 2017’s surprise hit reboot Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle pulled in nearly double the domestic earnings of its predecessor with $59.2 million (thanks in part to a wider release this time around), as well as a massive $152.5 million overseas. Will Jumanji: The Next Level be the first Jumanji film to make a billion worldwide? This isn’t an RPG, so that question is rhetorical.
Rounding Out The Rest Of The Box Office
Frozen 2 was finally dethroned to #2 this week, but the animated sequel has some chill box office news of its own, as it just became Disney’s sixth billion-dollar film of 2019 with over $1.03 billion worldwide. And it may soon surpass Aladdin, Joker, and Toy Story 4 to become the fifth highest-grossing film of 2019 overall.
Audiences haven’t been nearly as excited for this week’s two other wide releases. Richard Jewell (Warner Bros) debuted with just $4.7 million domestically, well below expectations, landing at #4 under Knives Out (Liongsate), which has been in theaters for three weeks. Similarly, Black Christmas (Universal) failed to reignite cult love for the franchise with just $4.4 million, just barely edging past Ford v Ferrari (Fox) at $4.1 million in its fifth weekend.
The rest of the Top 10 is a predictable slide down three spots to make way for the week’s wide releases. Queen & Slim (Universal), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Sony), Dark Waters (Focus Features), and 21 Bridges (STX) all maintained their respective positions, with 21 Bridges having the sharpest drop since last week at 58%.
One notable mention this week is Uncut Gems (A24), which debuted in just five theaters, but still managed to hit #14 with $537,242, a per-theater average of $107,448. That’s a new record for A24 and one of the best averages of 2019 thanks to excellent reviews and strong word of mouth.
And They’re Out
Three films entered. Three films left. First, Midway (Lionsgate) managed to hold relatively strong, dropping two spots to #11 after six weeks at the box office. That’s honestly better than expected, but the war drama is likely still a flop with just $122.5 million worldwide against an estimated production budget of $100 million, not including marketing costs and lower returns from overseas ticket sales.
Playing with Fire (Paramount) also fell off after six weeks, but from #8 to #12. The family firefighter movie made $49.4 million worldwide (mostly domestic) against an estimated budget of $29.9 million. That might just be barely enough for this film to be in the green.
Last is Last Christmas (Universal), which fell seven spots to #17, also in its sixth weekend. It made $100.8 million, mostly overseas. But with a low reported budget of $25 million, Last Christmas isn’t a lump of coal by any means.
That’s it for this weekend. Check back with Atom Insider next week as we recap all the newest releases vying for the top of the box office.
