Jumanji: Welcome to the Junglefinally put an end toThe Last Jedi’s streak of three straight box office wins in a row, taking in an impressive $37.2 million in its third frame. Its reign may very well be short-lived though, with three high-profile new releases hitting theaters this week, Warner Bros.' family sequelPaddington 2, Sony’s action-thrillerProud Maryand Lionsgate’s action-thrillerThe Commuter. 20th Century Fox’s awards season candidateThe Postalso expands nationwide after opening in limited release last month. We’re predicting that, while it may very well be a close race,Paddington 2will come out on top with a projectedbox office winof $21.7 million, beating outJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’s fourth weekend tally of $20.6 million.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which features an all-star cast including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, has had quite the interesting run thus far. It opened in theaters on Wednesday, December 20, just five days afterStar Wars: The Last Jedi, debuting with a solid $36.1 million over the three-day weekend and $52.7 million over the five day weekend, while also going againstThe Greatest Showman,Pitch Perfect 3,DownsizingandFather Figures. In its second frame, over the New Year’s Eve weekend, it actually posted a 38.4% increase over its first weekend with $50 million, and $66.2 million for the four-day total including New Year’s Day. Last weekend it only dropped 25.6% to take the top spot, and our prediction of $20.6 represents a 44% decrease from last weekend. If it manages to post another impressive decrease, it could very well end up taking the top spot fromPaddington 2.
Paddington 2has already opened in the U.K., where it debuted to $10.8 million, an improvement over the $8 million debut ofPaddingtonback in November 2014, although the sequel’s overall U.K. take ($50.7 million) came in just under its predecessor’s ($64.9 million). The originalPaddingtonopened with $18.9 million, en route to $76.2 million domestic and $191.7 million internationally for a worldwide total of $268 million, from a $55 million budget. So far,Paddington 2’s international take stands at $95.4 million. It’s possible that the sequel could fare a bit better in the U.S. after the producers successfully managed tomove Paddington 2 to Warner Bros.from The Weinstein Company, following the widespread allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein.
Of all the new releases debuting this weekend,Paddington 2 has the widest releaseof them all, opening in approximately 3,600 theaters, roughly 300 more theaters than the originalPaddingtonmovie’s U.S. debut. BothThe Commuterand the expandingThe Postwill arrive in roughly 2,800 theaters, whileProud Maryis expected to debut in 2,200 theaters.Paddington 2has also been riding a wave of critical success, currently holding a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes out of 76 reviews, withThe Postat 86% andThe Commuterat a middling 56%. There aren’t enough reviews forProud Maryto warrant a TomatoMeter score quite yet. Also opening in limited release is Lionsgate’sCondorito: La Pelicula, Film Movement’s comedyMy Art, Music Box Films' dramaVazante, Cohen Media Group’sThe Insultand Indican’s action movieWastelander.
Looking ahead to next weekend at the box office, Warner Bros. rolls out its9-11 war drama 12 Strong, starring Chris Hemsworth, alongside STX Entertainment’sDen of Thieves, starring Gerard Butler, and Roadside Attractions’Forever My Girl, starring Jessica Rothe. Also debuting in limited release next weekend is Magnolia’s documentaryThe Final Year, Indican’s crime thrillerRidge Runners, Oscilloscope Pictures' documentaryThe Road Movieand Parade Deck Films’This Giant Papier-Mache Boulder Is Actually Really Heavy. Take a look at our projected top 10 for the weekend of January 12, and check back on Sunday for the top 10 estimates, courtesy ofBox Office Mojo.
