It’s been a great few weeks for Disney as Frozen 2 has topped the box office for three straight weekends. But all good things must come to an end and it seems the animated sequel will need to surrender its box office crown to another highly-anticipated sequel in the form of Jumanji: The Next Level. Also opening in theaters this weekend will be Warner Bros.’ Richard Jewel and Blumhouse’s Black Christmas.
Sony Pictures’ Jumanji: The Next Level is poised to take the top spot this weekend. The sequel to 2017’s unexpectedly huge hit Welcome to the Jungle sees the entire core cast return, including Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart. There’s also some new star power in the form of Awkwafina, Danny DeVito and Danny Glover. The sequel is expected to bring in $45 million on the low end, with some estimates going as high as $60 million. In any case, that will be more than enough for a first-place finish.
Jake Kasdan returns to direct the sequel. Thus far, critics have, generally speaking, been kind as it boasts a 74 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle debuted to a relatively modest $36.1 million on its opening weekend, but had very long legs, ultimately bringing in $962 million globally. That made the sequel a top priority for the studio. Understandably so. The big question is, can this entry perform as well at the box office in the long run? Or will the impending release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker get in the way? Time will tell.
Frozen 2 should easily come in at number two with between $16 and $20 million. As of this writing, Disney’s latest has brought in $924.3 million worldwide and should be very close to the $1 billion mark come Monday. Both Richard Jewel, the latest from director Clint Eastwood, and Black Christmas, a holiday horror offering from Blumhouse and Universal, are going to duke it out for the number three spot. Both movies are tracking in the $10 million range.
Richard Jewell is a biopic starring Paul Walter Hauser based on the scandal surrounding the 1996 Olympics bombing. The cast also includes Olivia Wilde and Sam Rockwell. Eastwood’s latest has been subject to some controversy, given the portrayal of a woman journalist who sleeps with a source to get information. Whether or not that negative buzz affects the movie’s earnings potential remains to be seen. Black Christmas, meanwhile, is a remake of the 1974 slasher cult classic of the same name. Sophia Takal is in the director’s chair, with Imogen Poots and Cary Elwes starring.
Rian Johnson’s acclaimed murder mystery Knives Out looks to round out the top five. Also worth paying attention to this weekend; a pair of Oscar hopefuls in the form of Bombshell and Uncut Gems will arrive in limited release. Be sure to check out our full list of weekend box office predictions below and check back with us on Sunday for the weekend estimates. Numbers used in this report were provided by Box Office Mojo.
| 1 | Jumanji: The Next Level | |
| 2 | Frozen 2 | |
| 3 | Black Christmas | |
| 4 | Richard Jewell | |
| 5 | Knives Out | |
| 6 | Ford V Ferrari | |
| 7 | Queen & Slim | |
| 8 | A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood | |
| 9 | Dark Waters | |
| 10 | Playing with Fire |
