‘Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle’ Knocks ‘The Last Jedi’ From Top Spot [Box Office]

The reign of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” at the top of the box office wasn’t going to last forever, and this week it finally fell from the first thanks to another unstoppable blockbuster, and a horror franchise that just won’t die.

“Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” has been going very strong since it opened before Christmas, but it always remained in the shadow of ‘The Last Jedi.’ That ended this weekend with the rebootquel pulling in $36 million. Dwayne Johnson continues to prove he’s a powerhouse draw, with the $244 million domestic haul so far the third best of his career behind “Furious 7” and “Moana” (he’s also the rare actor that can anchor both more adult driven and family oriented vehicles). This is a big win for Sony, who now have a brand new franchise on their hands — it’s just a shock they haven’t announced a followup yet.

Don’t feel too bad for ‘The Last Jedi,’ however. The film hit $1.2 billion worldwide this weekend — even with a lacklustre showing in China — becoming the thirteenth highest grossing film in history. It may even move up a few notches before its run is through. Domestically, the “Star Wars” movie hit $572.5 million which means it has outgrossed the total 20-week run of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” in just under four weeks and it’s now the sixth highest grossing movie of all time at home and counting. But the movie did fall another 55% in week four which likely means a picture that grosses no higher than about $650 million domestically. That’s still a spectacular number, but it may not pass “Jurassic World” ($653 million) for the title of fourth highest grossing movie of all time in North America.

Blumhouse Productions has started the year with yet another hit. Despite not really screening for critics, and a pretty modest marketing campaign, “Insidious: The Last Key” opened to a strong $29.2 million. Its the second best debut in franchise history, and clearly the film found its audience. The question now is whether this chapter in the “Insidious” saga is truly the “last.” Especially since the low budget series as a whole has already grossed more than $400 million worldwide.

Lastly, at the arthouse, it was Paul Thomas Anderson‘s “Phantom Thread” continuing to be the big draw, pulling $245,000 from six cinemas for a per-screen average of $40,833.

1. “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” — $36 million ($244.3 mil.)
2. “Insidious: The Last Key” — $29.2 million
3. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” — $23.5 million ($572.5 mil.)
4. “The Greatest Showman” — $13.8 million ($75.9 mil.)
5. “Pitch Perfect 3” — $10.2 million ($85.9 mil.)
6. “Ferdinand” — $7.7 million ($70.4 mil.)
7. “Molly’s Game” — $7 million ($14.2 mil.)
8. “Darkest Hour” — $6.3 million ($28.3 mil.)
9. “Coco” — $5.5 million ($192 mil.)
10. “All The Money In The World” — $3.5 million ($20.1 mil.)