The January box office begins to slow down a bit this weekend despite a couple of new releases. Given the weaker competition, expect Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle to pull a threepeat this weekend at the box office.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is on its way to joining the top 60 domestic earners of all time. No one really saw that coming before its December release but it has been carried by incredible word of mouth and being the top option for families at the movies. The movie has defied most box office expectations and I honestly can’t tell if it’s on the road to slowing down yet. I’m predicting a number one finish with about $17-20 million but I wouldn’t be surprised if it topped the higher end of this gross.
The strongest competition comes from one of our new openers, 12 Strong. The film is based on Doug Stanton’s 2009 bestselling book “Horse Soldiers,” centered on CIA paramilitary operations officers and U.S. Special Forces sent to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban, Trevante Rhodes, Geoff Stults, Thad Luckinbill, William Fichtner, and Rob Riggle and it’s the kind of film that could tap into moviegoers’ love for the military. Tracking is actually surprisingly strong for the film, considering its late January release date. Reviews are mixed as of this writing with a 57% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes but it should overcome that, at least opening weekend. I’m predicting about $14-16 million for its opening weekend.
The last of the new releases is Den of Thieves, which makes me wonder why Gerard Butler hasn’t fired his agent yet but I digress. The film follows the intersecting and often personally-connected lives of an elite unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and a successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Los Angeles. It co-stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and while their fanbases may put a few butts in seats, I really doubt this one has the potential to really break out. Surprisingly the reviews aren’t absolutely horrid with a 50% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating a more mixed reception. I’m calling a $9 million opening before it’s quickly forgotten.
