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