Jumanji: The Next Level brought in big numbers this weekend at the box office, debuting with an estimated $60.1 million.
The film’s better-than-expected haul set an all-time record domestic opening for a comedy in the month of December, according to Comscore.
The Sony release stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Danny Glover, Danny DeVito, Alex Wolff, Dania Ramirez, and Nick Jonas. Directed by Jake Kasdan, the sequel sees the gang return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own.
In second place, Disney’s Frozen 2 earned another $19.1 million, helping to push the family film past the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office.
Lionsgate’s Knives Out continues to perform well after three weeks, taking in another $9.2 million for a third place finish.
Related Story: ‘Harriet’ Passes $40 Million Mark at Domestic Box Office
Warner Bros. release Richard Jewell from Clint Eastwood debuted in fourth place with a dismal $5 million, marking one of the worst openings of Eastwood’s directing career.
The film is based on real events surrounding Richard Jewell, the security guard who reported finding a backpack filled with pipe bombs at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta. Jewell’s swift actions saved lives and made him a hero. But within days, he was falsely named a suspect in the case turning his life upside down.
Starring Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, Nina Arianda, and Paul Walter Hauser, the movie has been dogged by negative headlines. The controversy surrounds a scene that suggests now deceased Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs (played by Wilde) traded sex with an FBI agent for information about the case.
On Dec. 9, the AJC sent a strongly-worded letter to Eastwood, screenwriter Billy Ray, and Warner Bros. demanding a disclaimer be added to the film stating that “some events were imagined for dramatic purposes and artistic license.”
However, WB called the newspaper’s claims in its letter baseless. It remains to be seen if the controversy and the film’s awful opening will hurt its chances with awards voters.
Elsewhere at the box office, Black Christmas opened in fifth place with a disappointing $4.4 million. The horror film from Blumhouse Productions centers on a group of female students stalked by a stranger during Christmas break.
