Jumanji Beats 12 Strong and Den of Thieves
Sony Pictures’ Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle took in $19.51 million last weekend (Jan. 19-20) to lead the weekend box office, its third consecutive weekend on top. Two action drama newcomers took the next two slots, with Warner Bros. Pictures’ 12 Strong debuting in second place with $15.82 million and STX Entertainment’s Den of Thieves starting in third place with $15.21 million.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle has earned a massive $316.45 million total so far. The sequel is now the highest-grossing non-Spider-Man Sony release of all time (without adjusting for inflation), rising above 2012’s Skyfall with $304.3. By the end of its run, should rise to third on that list passing Spider-Man 3 and Spider-Man: Homecoming, currently at third and fourth, respectively. It could even possibly finish in second displacing Spider-Man 2, which made $373 million in 2004 when ticket prices were much lower. On the 2017 list, it has beaten Thor: Ragnarok, which earned $313 million for the sevemth place spot.
The family adventure’s amazing run can be chalked up to strong word-of-mouth. Falling just 30.6 percent from its three-day gross over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Welcome to the Jungle has not fallen more than 30 percent from one weekend to the next since it opened on Dec. 22. Though it finished in third place on Friday against newcomers Den of Thieves and 12 Strong, it rallied on Saturday to surpass those titles by the end of the weekend.
In second place, 12 Strong, – which dramatizes the true story of a group of soldiers sent to Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks – benefitted from star Chris Hemsworth’s drawing power. But it also won over viewers with its patriotic story of military heroism and sacrifice, similar to previous films like American Sniper and Lone Survivor.
In third place, Den of Thieves, starring Gerard Butler and 50 Cent, had the best per-location average of the weekend, with an estimated $6,253 per screen. Compared to other of Butler’s action films, it brought in considerably less than either 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen or its 2016 sequel London Has Fallen, which debuted with $30.3 million and $21.6 million, respectively. To be fair, neither of those had to fight with the opening of another male-oriented film like 12 Strong in their debut weekends. If Den of Thieves follows the pattern established by those earlier Butler movies, look for a second-weekend drop in the 50 percent range.
In fourth place, 20th Century Fox’s The Post held up well in its second weekend of wide release, falling 39.5 percent to $11.72 million. That brings its total to $44.76 million so far, which puts it ahead of fellow Steven Spielberg title Bridge of Spies, which had $32.5 million at the same point in its run more than two years ago. It should be noted, however, that unlike Bridge of Spies, The Post grossed nearly $4 million in limited release before going into wide release. If the Meryl Streep-Tom Hanks movie receives a mountain of Oscar nominations on Tuesday, its bottom line should benefit going forward.
Fox’s The Greatest Showman continued to hang on in fifth place, dropping just 14.7 to $10.64 million. That brings the total for the Hugh Jackman musical to $113.13 million since opening Dec. 20. As noted last week, the hit soundtrack has been a boon for the film’s long-term playability, as it continues to bring in new and repeat viewers won over by the tunes of Oscar-winning songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Sixth place went to Warner Bros.’ Paddington 2, which slipped just 27.2 percent to $8.01 million after opening to a so-so $11.00 million for last week’s three-day MLK weekend ($15.00 million four-day). That is a very good hold for the family sequel, although its $24.81 million total to date puts it 38 percent behind the original’s gross during the same period in 2015. That said, it held better than its predecessor, which dropped a steeper 35 percent in its second weekend.
In seventh place was The Commuter, which came in at $6.60 million in its second weekend. It slid 51.8 percent from its opening the previous weekend, which is pretty standard for a Liam Neeson action flick. The film’s $25.63 million total puts it 24 percent ahead of 2015’s Run All Night at the same point and 51 percent behind 2014’s Non-Stop. Look The Commuter to finish somewhere in the $40-$45 million range when all is said and done.
Still lingering in the Top 10 last weekend was Disney/Lucasfilms’ Star Wars: The Last Jedi with $6.56 million in eighth place, earning $604.27 million to date. That makes it only the sixth film in history to top $600 million domestically after Titanic with $659 million, Avatar with $760 million, The Avengers with $623 million, Jurassic World with $652 million and Star Wars: The Force Awakens with $936 million.
In ninth place, Insidious: The Last Key earned $5.87 million bringing its gross to $58.66 million so far. Rounding out the Top 10 was romance Forever My Girl with $4.25 million on 1,115 screens in its opening weekend. The critically-maligned Roadside/LD release was pegged by many critics as a low-rent version of a Nicholas Sparks adaptation, but it reportedly cost just $3.5 million, so it should do well enough to justify its budget.
Falling outside the Top 10 in its second weekend was the Taraji P. Henson action film Proud Mary, which dropped a steep 64% to $3.57 million. Unfortunately, there is not much firepower left in the Screen Gems release, which was savaged by critics and should top out with not much more than $20 million. Luckily for Sony, the budget was just $14 million.
Also last weekend, Disney/Pixar’s Coco passed the $200 million threshold with $1.91 million bringing its total earnings to $200.73 million so far, while Universal Pictures’ Pitch Perfect 3 passed $100 million with $3.02 million bringing its total to $100.54 million thus far.
The top 10 films last weekend earned $104.19 million. That is 19.4 percent below the previous weekend’s three-day total. It is also 13.3 percent below the same weekend last year, when Split debuted with $40.01 million. Year-to-date, the box office stands at $739.4 million, or 4.3 percent ahead of last year.
This Week | Last Week | Movie | Weekend Gross | Cumulative Gross | Weeks |
1 | 1 | Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle | $19.51M | $316.45M | 5 |
2 | New | 12 Strong | $15.82M | $15.82M | 1 |
3 | New | Den of Thieves | $15.21M | $15.21M | 1 |
4 | 2 | The Post | $11.72M | $44.76M | 5 |
5 | 3 | The Greatest Showman | $10.64M | $44.76M | 5 |
6 | 5 | Paddington 2 | $8.01M | $24.81M | 2 |
7 | 4 | The Commuter | $6.60M | $25.63M | 2 |
8 | 6 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | $6.56M | $604.27M | 6 |
9 | 7 | Insidious: The Last Key | $5.87M | $58.66M | 3 |
10 | New | Forever My Girl | $4.25M | $4.25M | 1 |
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.