Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wins box office again, Jumanji: The Next Level holding strong
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has zoomed past the competition at the box office with an estimated $72 million, but the final installment of the Skywalker Saga took a hit in excess of 50 percent during its second week in theaters.
The J.J. Abrams-directed drama opened last weekend with a whopping $176 million, but it could not sustain that momentum. That does not take away from the film’s power, however. The production has made an estimated $361.8 million in ten days for Disney domestically, helping the overall box office cross $11 billion on Thursday, according to ComScore.
Second place goes to Jumanji: The Next Level with $35.3 million, followed by Little Women that brought in an estimated $16.6 million. Fourth place goes to Frozen 2 with $16.5 million after 38 days in theaters.
Rounding out the top five is newcomer Spies in Disguise with an estimated $13.2 million.
Critics and moviegoers can’t get enough of Little Women, the seventh film adaptation of the popular Louisa May Alcott novel of the same name. The period drama follows the trials and tribulations of the March sisters: Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh), and Beth (Eliza Scanlen), as they come of age during the American Civil War.
EW gave the film an A- saying, director Greta Gerwig’s “2019 take is less a faithful rendering of the text than a sort of joyful reimaging, a classic cleared of cobwebs (though it still keeps the crinolines).”
The film co-stars Timothee Chalamet, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, and Bob Odenkirk.
Here’s how this year’s version did in comparison to previous versions of the film, not adjusting for inflation:
–2018’s Little Women opened with $705,000
–1994’s Little Women opened with $2.4 million
There are no numbers for any of the previous four versions, although the 1949 release starring Elizabeth Taylor and Janet Leigh in the first color adaptation of the novel earned a total of $3.4 million throughout its total run. The first version with sound opened in 1933 starring Katherine Hepburn made $2.1 million total at the box office.
Will Smith brings to life “the world’s most awesome spy” Lance Sterling in the animated Spies in Disguise, who is accidentally transformed into a pigeon by teen agent Walter Beckett (Tom Holland). Caught in a totally vulnerable position, Sterling will have to depend on Beckett to help him save the world…even though he’s only 15 years old.
EW gave the film a B saying, “it’s a proud piece of family entertainment with a good heart, an eye for inventive action, and a delightfully wacky sense of humor.” Moviegoers enjoyed the film a bit more, giving it an A-.
Adam Sandler‘s Uncut Gems made $9.6 million after expanding into more than 2,000 theaters during its third official week of release. The Josh and Benny Safdie-directed dramedy stars Sandler as Howard Ratner, a New York jeweler who is on the hunt for his next for his next big score.
Sandler has been garnering rave reviews from critics for his portrayal of a role he admits to he was “devastated” to say goodbye to. EW gave the film an A- saying, “Sandler is revelatory in the role. He exudes the self-lacerating melancholy familiar from his acclaimed dramatic work in Punch-Drunk Love and The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). He’s also indulging all his go-big comedic instincts, somehow, letting you see how Howard’s huckster gladhanding is a shield against certain doom.”
Uncut Gems co-stars Lakeith Stanfield, Idina Menzel, Julia Fox, and Judd Hirsch.
Overall, box office is down -4.4% percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the Dec. 27-29 numbers below:
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker—$72 million
Jumanji: The Next Level— $35.3 million
Little Women—$16.6 million
Frozen 2— $16.5 million
Spies in Disguise—$13.2 million
Knives Out—$9.7 million
Uncut Gems—$9.6 million
Cats— $4.8 million
Bombshell— $5 million
Richard Jewell—$3 million