‘Star Wars’ becomes top earner in 2017
On the last day of the calendar year, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” has surpassed “Beauty and the Beast” as the top grossing film in North America in 2017. It also topped the charts for the weekend for the third time, but just barely — Dwayne Johnson’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is close behind.
According to studio estimates on Sunday, “The Last Jedi” will add $52.4 million during the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $517.1 million. “Beauty and the Beast,” also a Disney release, netted out with $504 million for the year.
With the weekend’s earnings, “The Last Jedi” will also cross the $1 billion mark globally — even before it opens in China on Friday.
But “Star Wars” is facing some hefty competition still, from the likes of The Rock, Jack Black and Kevin Hart, whose “Jumanji” sequel took in $50.6 million in its second weekend in theaters to take second place. The Columbia Pictures film has earned a stunning $169.8 million to date and could even reach $300 million domestically by the end of its run.
The a capella franchise “Pitch Perfect 3” took third place in weekend two, with $17.8 million, bringing its total to $64.3 million — still less than what “Pitch Perfect 2” earned on its opening weekend alone in May 2015 ($69.2 million).
Another musical, “The Greatest Showman,” with Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum, came in fourth place with $15.3 million after adding 310 screens. The animated kids film “Ferdinand” took fifth with $11.7 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released today.
1.”Star Wars: The Last Jedi”: $52.4 million 2.”Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”: $50.6million 3.”Pitch Perfect 3”: $17.8 million 4.”The Greatest Showman”: $15.3million 5.”Ferdinand”: $11.7 million 6.”Coco”: $6.6million 7.”All the Money in the World”: $5.5 million 8.”Darkest Hour”: $5.3 million 9.”Downsizing”: $4.6 million 10.”Father Figures”: $3.7million