Dwayne Johnson sequel now lined up for long theatrical run despite “Star Wars” competition
Sony
Sony/Columbia/Seven Bucks’ “Jumanji: The Next Level” is off to a robust start at the box office with a $60.1 million opening weekend from 4,227 screens, the highest opening ever in December for a Sony or comedy release.
This result also sets a new personal opening record for director Jake Kasdan and stars Jack Black & Kevin Hart and surpasses the first five days of grosses for the film’s predecessor, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” That film opened on the Wednesday prior to Christmas in 2017, grossing $52.7 million in five days and $71.9 million after Christmas Day before going on to gross $404.5 million domestically and $962 million overall.
It is still difficult to see “The Next Level” passing the overall totals of “Welcome to the Jungle” considering that it will face heavy competition next week from the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” But even if totals for the film drop in its second weekend, Sony’s ultimate goal is to build word of mouth for a long theatrical run as the second film of choice for audiences after “Star Wars” during the holiday season. “Jumanji” is on its way to achieving that goal, earning an A- on CinemaScore and a 3.5/5 on Postrak.
More to come…
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