'Pitch Perfect 3' Belts Out $2.1 Million at Thursday Previews

A busy Christmas weekend kicked off on Thursday evening as Universal/Gold Circle’s “Pitch Perfect 3” entered theaters and made $2.1 million from preview screenings.

By comparison, the previous installment in the comedy-musical trilogy, “Pitch Perfect 2,” made $4.6 million from previews in 2015, though it faced much less competition in the form of a third-weekend “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and the R-Rated “Mad Max: Fury Road,” whereas “PP3” will have to contend against four other new wide releases this weekend along with several awards contenders and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Also, while critics embraced the two previous “Pitch Perfect” films, with 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes for the first film and 65 percent for the sequel, they panned this final installment with just 28 percent.

Also Read: Christmas Box Office Preview: Can New Movies Survive in 'Star Wars' Shadow?

Directed by Trish Sie from a script by Kay Cannon, “Pitch Perfect 3” sees the entire cast from the previous two films reunite as the Bellas have one last performance together during a USO tour. Kendrick stars with a cast including Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, and Brittany Snow. The film, which screened on 2,600 screens on Thursday, has been projected for a $25 million four-day opening from 3,447 screens. Sources tell TheWrap the film has an estimated $45 million budget.

Also releasing this weekend is Paramount’s “Downsizing,” which made $425,000 on Thursday from 1,900 screens. Written and directed by Alexander Payne, this sci-fi tale about a struggling middle class man (Matt Damon) who shrinks to miniature size to enter a new society was met with mixed reviews when it debuted at the Venice Film Festival, scoring a 58 percent RT score. It’s looking at a four-day opening in the low teens against a reported budget of $68 million and will be released on 2,600 screens. Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, and Kristen Wiig also star.

As for Wednesday’s releases, Sony’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” continues to bring in solid returns with $7.5 million on Thursday, giving it a running total of $16.6 million through two days. Fox/Chernin Entertainment’s “The Greatest Showman” added $2.1 million to bring its total to $4.5 million. Meanwhile, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” took the lion’s share with $17.9 million on its first Thursday, bringing it close to the $300 million domestic mark with $296.6 million after seven days in theaters.

'Star Wars: The Last Jedi': 8 A-List Cameos to Keep an Eye (and Ear) Out for (Photos)

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is finally here, and much like "The Force Awakens" and "Rogue One," it is filled with celebrities who oh-so-badly wanted to be a part of a galaxy far, far away. From past "Star Wars" directors to the next King of England, these cameos come in blink-and-you'll-miss-it shots or in the voices of bizarre alien creatures on Canto Bight, the newest Star Wars planet that looks like Galactic Monaco. Here is some to look out for when you watch the movie:
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When Gareth Edwards wrote "Rogue One," he put Rian Johnson in front of the camera for a special cameo. Now, Rian is returning the favor in "The Last Jedi." If you can remember to do so during the film's heart-pounding climax on the salt planet of Crait, look for Edwards as a Resistance soldier fighting in the trenches.
As hardcore Warwick Davis, who famously played Wicket the Ewok in "Return of the Jedi," has made cameos in "Star Wars" movies ever since. Here, he voices one of the rich, greedy creatures gambling their ill-gotten gains away on Canto Bight.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a long history with Rian Johnson, starring in his 2005 debut film "Brick" and his nail-biting sci-fi film "Looper." He also has a voice cameo as one of the gamblers on Canto Bight.
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Another star of "Brick," Noah Segan, also has a long-standing relationship with Rian Johnson. He appears in this film as an X-Wing pilot who fights in the opening battle against a Dreadnought Star Destroyer.
Very mild spoiler here: As part of a mission, Finn and Rose are instructed to go to Canto Bight and search for someone wearing a floral pin. That pin is worn by a craps-throwing Canto Bight gambler played by Justin Theroux, star of HBO's "The Leftovers" and writer for films like "Tropic Thunder" and "Iron Man 2."
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It might become a new tradition to have big stars play Stormtroopers in these new Star Wars movies. Daniel Craig played one in "The Force Awakens," and here, Tom Hardy plays one in a scene where Finn and Rose disguise themselves as First Order officers to sneak onto Supreme Leader Snoke's mothership. But he's not the only famous Stormtrooper in that scene...
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The future King of England, Prince William, and his brother, Prince Harry, also play Stormtroopers on Snoke's ship. Like Hardy, you probably won't be able to spot them, but they also got a "Star Wars" moment of their own this week, when BB-8 bowed to them as they arrived at the film's London premiere.
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These guest roles are easy to miss

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is finally here, and much like "The Force Awakens" and "Rogue One," it is filled with celebrities who oh-so-badly wanted to be a part of a galaxy far, far away. From past "Star Wars" directors to the next King of England, these cameos come in blink-and-you'll-miss-it shots or in the voices of bizarre alien creatures on Canto Bight, the newest Star Wars planet that looks like Galactic Monaco. Here is some to look out for when you watch the movie:

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'Star Wars: The Last Jedi': 8 A-List Cameos to Keep an Eye (and Ear) Out for (Photos)

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