‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Lags Behind ‘Last Jedi’ With $141.5 Million Holiday Box Office

‘Episode IX’ took in $26.2 million in its second Friday in theaters

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker John Boyega
Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is falling slightly shy of its 2017 predecessor, “The Last Jedi,” at the holiday box office. After grossing an estimated $26.2 million on its second Friday in theaters, the Disney/Lucasfilm production is estimated to earn $141.5 million during this extended weekend going back to Christmas Day.

That total includes an estimated $78.8 million total from Friday through Sunday, a 56% drop from the film’s $177 million opening. Overall, “Skywalker” is currently estimated for a $368.6 million total. By comparison, “The Last Jedi” earned $395 million domestically through its first 11 days in theaters, including a Christmas Day which fell on a Monday.

In second this weekend is Sony’s “Jumanji: The Next Level” with $11.7 million, which is currently estimated for a $58.7 million 5-day total and a domestic cume of $175.2 million after three weekends, putting it on pace to become the fourth non-Disney release to gross over $200 million in North America this year.

In third is another Sony release: Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” with $5.7 million Friday, which is earning strong audience and critical acclaim and is currently estimated for a $28.2 million 5-day opening from 3,308 theaters. In fourth is Disney’s “Frozen II” with $6 million, which has now passed the domestic run of the original “Frozen” after six weekends in theaters. With an estimated $26.4 million 5-day total, the sequel now has a domestic running total of $420 million.

Completing the top 5 is recently acquired Disney release “Spies in Disguise” with $4.6 million Friday, which is a 20th Century Fox title produced by Blue Sky and Chernin. Family turnout is starting to come in lower than expected, with 5-day estimates now falling to $22.5 million from 3,502 screens. “Spies in Disguise” had been tracking before release for an extended opening in the mid $2o million range.

Outside the top 5 and taking sixth place in its fifth weekend is Lionsgate’s “Knives Out.” By the end of the weekend it should have a cumulative $110.5 million.

In seventh, A24’s crime thriller “Uncut Gems,” which was projected for a 5-day opening in the mid-teens and is outperforming that with a $19 million start. On Friday it grossed another $3.3 million from 2,348 screens, bringing its cumulative total thus far to $13.7 million. The Safdie Bros. film stars Adam Sandler and grossed $1 million in limited release before expanding to 2,341 screens.

Universal’s “Cats” is in eighth place, having earned $1.7 million on Friday. It is projected to earn $8.9 million in all over the 5-day weekend for an estimated cumulative total of $17.9 million. War epic “1917,” which is playing on 11 screens, is looking at a cume 5-day of $1 million after earning $180,000 Friday.

Lionsgate’s “Bombshell” is in ninth with $1.6 million Friday and is looking at an $8.5 million 5-day weekend for a cumulative total of $15.8 million. Warner Bros. “Richard Jewell” grossed another $1 million on Friday, bringing its cume total to $14.1 million, and “Just Mercy,” which opened in limited release this holiday on just four screens, made $37,000 Friday. It’s projected for a 5-day opening of $250,000.

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