Jumanji Continues To Rule Box Office Over MLK Weekend

The MLK weekend is usually a pretty decent one at the box office and this one was no exception. Moviegoers did a bit of sampling with holdovers and a few new releases but Jumanji remained the king of the jungle.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle retained the top spot once again with an estimated $27 million. The projected four-day weekend gross is said to be close to $34 million which would bring its domestic total to $291 million. Box office analyst pointed out yesterday that the original made $100 million by the end of its run and that adjusted for today’s dollars it would be about $205 million. That’s a total that the new film has exceeded and now it’s getting ready to join the $300 million club. The worldwide total comes to $667 million after a robust $40 million opening in China. I hope they locked these guys down for a sequel over at Sony because I believe a new franchise is born.

Landing in second is the expansion of The Post which proved to be the choice for older moviegoers as it grossed an estimated $18.6 million. The film is projected to take in $22 million over four days and its “A” CinemaScore is encouraging for word of mouth moving forward. Despite going home empty-handed at the Golden Globes, the film is still a lock for a few Oscar nominations which will carry the film over the next few weeks.

The Commuter rides into third place this weekend with an estimated $13.4 million. The film is projected to make $16 million over four days and is pretty much in line with the Liam Neeson action bait that has become a January staple. The film received a decent “B” CinemaScore and that should be enough to carry it to a modest $30 million finish.

Falling hard to fourth is Insidious: The Last Key with an estimated $12.1 million. The film is projected for $14 million over four days and represents a steep, but expected 59% drop. The decline is big but the film cost $10 million to make and will be at $50 million by end of the day Monday. The film will also outgross the first film and the third film in the series ($54 million & $52.2 million respectively). The franchise has grossed over $460 million worldwide and this is likely strong enough to keep the franchise going which is a strong kudos to 74-year-old Lin Shaye who has led the franchise since the first film became a surprise hit.

Singing its way into fifth is The Greatest Showman which is becoming the definition of a crowd pleaser. Keep in mind that this film opened to $8.8 million before Christmas and I kept saying that that studio wanted a bigger start but we’d have to take a wait and see approach as to where it was headed. Well, here we are in January and the film grosses an estimated $11.8 million. That’s only a decline of 14.3% weekend to weekend and the film is projected for a gross of $14.5 million. The $84 million film has now grossed $94.5 million and is now on its way to $100 million. The film didn’t need to rely on a huge awards push and is succeeding on classic word of mouth, a rarity in this box office day and age.

Check out the full top ten results below:

  1. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – $27 million (-27.4%, $283.1 million)
  2. The Post – $18.6 million (+995.4%, $23 million)
  3. The Commuter – $13.4 million (NEW)
  4. Insidious: The Last Key – $12.1 million (-59%, $48.3 million)
  5. The Greatest Showman – $11.8 million (-14.3%, $94.5 million)
  6. Star Wars: The Last Jedi – $11.2 million (-52.5%, $591.5 million)
  7. Paddington 2 – $10.6 million (NEW)
  8. Proud Mary – $10 million (NEW)
  9. Pitch Perfect 3 – $5.6 million (-45.1%, $94.6 million)
  10. Darkest Hour – $4.5 million (-25.2%, $35.7 million)

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About Gaius Bolling 3795 Articles
At the age of five, I knew I wanted to write movies and about them. I've set out to make those dreams come true. As an alumni of the Los Angeles Film Academy, I participated in their Screenwriting program, while building up my expertise in film criticism. I write reviews that relate to the average moviegoer by educating my readers and keeping it fun. My job is to let you know the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world of cinema, so you can have your best moviegoing experience. You can find more of my writing on Instagram @g_reelz.