Jumanji Is No. 1 as Richard Jewell Tanks

Eastwood has one of his weakest openings
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 15, 2019 11:47 AM CST
Jumanji Takes Down Frozen 2
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Sam Rockwell, from left, Kathy Bates and Paul Walter Hauser in a scene from "Richard Jewell."   (Claire Folger/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Jumanji: The Next Level puts Frozen 2 on second-place ice, while Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell opened with one of the worst box office debuts for the director. The Sony film starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart brought in $60.1 million in the US and Canada to break a three-day record for a comedy in December for the production company, the AP reports. The sequel is a followup to 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which grossed $962 million worldwide. A week before it opened in North America, Sony's Jumanji: The Next Level debuted in 18 international countries where it made $52.5 million. Frozen 2 dropped to second place with $19.2 million domestically after claiming top box office spot for three straight weeks, earning $367 million since its Nov. 22 release.

The film crossed the $1 billion mark globally to become Disney Animation's third billion-dollar project, along with Frozen and Zootopia. It also became Walt Disney Studio's sixth billion-dollar release in 2019. Richard Jewell landed at No. 4, bringing in $5 million. The film takes aim at the media and federal investigators for what Eastwood sees as a rush to judgment after the 1996 Olympics bombing in Atlanta. The docudrama focuses on Jewell, initially hailed as a hero for finding a bomb at Centennial Olympic Park and clearing bystanders from the area. One person was killed and 111 were injured when the bomb exploded. The film has been heavily criticized for its depiction of a reporter covering the story.

(More box office stories.)

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