The first four-quadrant movie of the December holiday season arrive with Jumanji: The Next Level [JUMN2]. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart return to lead Sony’s sequel to their blockbuster hit from December 2017. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle opened on a Wednesday and took in $55.4 million over the 4-day Christmas weekend. Despite the presence of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it legged out a phenomenal $404.5 million. The massive goodwill from Welcome to the Jungle should provide a boost to The Next Level. The PG-13 rated sequel will no doubt be more front-loaded with Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker looming next week. Playing in 4227 theaters, Jumanji: The Next Level could reach $60 million.
Frozen II [FROZ2] should accumulate another $22 million for its fourth weekend.
Universal takes advantage of Friday the 13th in December with the horror remake Black Christmas [BCHRS]. This is actually the second remake of the 1974 original film as a 2006 version opened to $2.6 million. While the previous two were rated R, the latest version is rated PG-13 to attract female teen moviegoers. Opening in 2625 theaters, Black Christmas could take in $11 million.
Director Clint Eastwood has delivered another late entry in the Oscar race for Warner Bros. with Richard Jewell [RJEWE]. Paul Walter Hauser stars as the heroic security guard who was falsely accused of planting a bomb at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The R-rated biopic has earned positive reviews, as well as controversy over the depicted of a female reporter. Richard Jewell may gross $10 million from 2502 locations.
Knives Out [KNIVS] looks to round out the top five with another $9.0 million.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): JUMN2, FROZ2, BCHRS, RJEWE, KNIVS