LOS ANGELES â âStar Wars: The Last Jediâ is continuing its dominance over the movie galaxy as expected, outpacing three new releases. The eighth installment in the Disney-owned space saga is expected to add another nearly US$69 million to its coffers over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Sonyâs adventure caper âJumanji: Welcome to the Jungleâ debuted in second place with $34 million. A pair of critically panned new musicals followed: Universalâs âPitch Perfect 3" opened in third place with $20.4 million and Foxâs âThe Greatest Showmanâ debuted in fourth with $8.6 million.
These three new releases collectively earned less than âThe Last Jediâ since opening on Friday.
âItâs an overwhelming array of options at the movie theater, which could prove daunting to most moviegoers,â said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of comScore. âBut youâd have to be a Scrooge not to find a movie you like in this marketplace.â
Sonyâs president of distribution, Adrian Smith, said he was âabsolutely pleasedâ with the performance of âJumanjiâ so far.
âItâs above our expectations,â he said. âWe have incredible momentum as we head into one of the biggest movie-going weeks of the year.â
Dergarabedian said the period between Christmas and New Yearâs Day is traditionally among the busiest times at the Cineplex. Families are together and theaters are brimming with blockbusters and awards-season hopefuls. Two celebrated films, âDarkest Hourâ and âThe Shape of Water,â expanded to hundreds more screens this weekend.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.