Time to level up! Jumanji: The Next Level opened in Thursday night previews last night and it’s off to a great start.
Jumanji: The Next Level grossed $4.7 million in Thursday night previews off shows that began at 4:00 PM in 3,778 locations. That’s a great start for a film that’s tracking to open in the $45-50 million range. Sony is trying to be conservative in its predictions, suggesting a $35 million opening that is on par with the first film. Keep in mind, the December box office is very different from the rest of the calendar year. Unless you’re Star Wars, it’s not about launching huge out of the gate, it’s about the leggy performance that occurs with the holiday releases until after the new year.
Exit polling for Jumanji: The Next Level was solid with parents and kids under 12 giving the film 4 stars on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak, while general audiences gave it 3 1/2 stars and a 58% definite recommend. The CinemaScore will be out after today’s box office performance, which is expected to surge.
Black Christmas also opened in Thursday night previews and the results weren’t all that great. The film grossed $230,000 in previews that began at 7:00 PM. Given the film’s PG-13 rating, I expected a better preview number and now I’m thinking this shows early signs of trouble. The film’s exits were awful last night with 1 star on PostTrak and a 29% definite recommend. The film also has a 22% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes which means this second remake of Black Christmas may have missed the mark just as much as the 2006 remake did.
Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell did not hold previews last night and goes wide today.
