Jumanji: The Next Levelhad an impressive win with a $59.2 million debut last weekend, but The Rock’s stint atop the box office will be a short one, asStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeris set to hit theaters this weekend. Disney is looking to put a big fat punctuation mark on the record-breaking year that has been 2019 for them. Universal is also releasing the musicalCatsthis weekend, with Lionsgate expanding the Oscar hopefulBombshellnationwide.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkersees director J.J. Abrams return to the franchise after helming 2015’sThe Force Awakens. Rian Johnson took over for 2017’sThe Last Jedi, which proved to be divisive amongst the fanbase. Not only was Abrams dealing with that element, but he’s also having to wrap up the entire Skywalker saga, as this is being billed as the end of the main story we’ve been following since 1977. While the long term fate of Episode IX remains to be seen, tracking has the movie bringing in $200 million or more at thebox officeon opening weekend.
For the sake of comparison,The Force Awakensdebuted to a then-record $248 million, withThe Last Jedibringing in $220 million on its opening weekend. SoStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeris, more or less, tracking in the same range. The main problem here is that the finale of the sequel trilogy has been met with a mixed response from critics, currently boasting a 56 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In the coming weeks, word of mouth from fans could be the determining factor in how long its legs will be.The Last Jedifinished with $660.2 million domestically, whileThe Force Awakenswrapped its run with $936.6 million, which remains a record today.
With numbers like that, it’s going to be a distant battle for second place. It’s expected thatJumanji: The Next Levelwill be able to hold off this weekend’s other newcomers and should bring in between $25 and $30 million in its second frame. Next up should be director Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the Broadway musicalCats. The movie boasts a stacked cast, which includes Taylor Swift, Idris Elba and Judi Dench. However, the internet’s response to the CGI felines has been palpable. It’s expected to make between $15 and $20 million, which is a potentially rocky start for the allegedly very expensive undertaking.
Bombshellopened well in limited release late weekend. Directed by Jay Roach with a cast headlined by Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman, the biopic covers the Roger Ailes scandal at Fox News. It’s expected to make between $7 and $12 million. BothBlack ChristmasandRichard Jewel, which opened below expectations last weekend, will fall out of the top five this weekend. Be sure to check out our full list of weekend box office predictions below and check back with us on Sunday for the weekend estimates. Numbers used in this report were provided byBox Office Mojo.
