Game over! ‘Jumanji 2’ dethrones ‘Frozen 2’
LOS ANGELES – “Jumanji: The Next Level” puts “Frozen 2” on secondplace ice, while Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell” opened with one of the director’s worst box-office debuts.
The film starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Nick Jonas brought in $60.1 million in the U.S. and Canada to break a three-day record for a comedy in December. The sequel is a follow-up to 2017’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” which grossed $962 million worldwide.
The film was Hart’s first film since the actor/comedian suffered a serious back injury in September after the vintage muscle car he was riding in crashed in California.
“People were like ‘Another reboot’ of a well-known franchise, but the movie delivered so well on the promise of the marketing, and the whole concept of the movie just resonated with audiences,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Comscore. “It’s going to play well in the long haul.” “Frozen 2” dropped to second place with $19.2 million domestically after claiming the top box-office spot for three straight weeks, earning $367 million since Nov. 22.
The animated film following the adventures of Anna and Elsa crossed the $1 billion mark globally to become Disney Animation’s third billion-dollar project along with “Frozen” and “Zootopia.” It also became Walt Disney Studio’s sixth billion-dollar release in 2019.
“Richard Jewell” landed at No. 4, bringing in $5 million. The film took aim at the media and federal investigators for a rush to judgment after the 1996 Olympics bombing in Atlanta.
Eastwood calls Jewell’s story “a great American tragedy.” The docudrama focuses on Jewell, who initially was hailed as a hero for finding a bomb at a concert held at Centennial Olympic Park and clearing bystanders from the area. One person was killed and 111 were injured in the explosion.
Jewell within a few days was reported to be the focus of the FBI investigation, and the public turned on him. He was cleared three months later.
The film fell under scrutiny from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which objected to the movie’s portrayal of the late journalist Kathy Scruggs, who seemingly sleeps with an FBI agent.
“Black Christmas” also put up subpar debut numbers. The 1974 slasher film remake pulled in only $4.42 million and finished fifth.
Next weekend, the box office is expected to be significantly busier with the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Cats” and the expansion of “Bombshell,” starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie.
Final numbers are expected Monday.