2020 box office starts off with ‘Star Wars’ still on top

NEW YORK  – The box office in 2020 started off where last year left off: with “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker” still on top.

This image released by Disney/Lucasfilm shows, from left, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn in a scene from “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” (Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd. via AP)

After  a historic year, the Walt Disney Co. opened the new year approaching one milestone and surpassing another. With $33.7 million over its third weekend in U.S. and Canada theaters according to studio estimates Sunday, “Rise of Skywalker” ($918.8 million) is closing in on $1 billion worldwide. While it appears unlikely to match the hauls of the trilogy’s previous entries, “Rise of Skywalker” will mark a record seventh $1 billion 2019 release for Disney.

One of those other six blockbusters, “Frozen 2,” on Sunday reached $1.33 billion, making it the highest grossing film ever directed by a woman in worldwide ticket sales. Jennifer Lee, who co-directed both “Frozen” films with Chris Buck and who now runs Disney Animation, surpasses her own record from the first “Frozen” ($1.28 billion). “Frozen 2” also charts as the highest grossing animated film, so long as you don’t count last year’s “Lion King” ($1.66 billion). Disney considers that remake live-action even though it was largely computer generated.

Holiday holdovers stayed strong, led by a pair of Sony Pictures releases.

“Jumanji: The Next Level” added $26.5 million in its fourth week, bringing its domestic total to $236 million and its global gross past $600 million.

Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” meanwhile, is becoming an outright hit. The Louisa May Alcott adaptation has been the top adult-oriented choice through the busy holiday season. With $13.6 million in its second weekend and strong business overseas, “Little Women” has grossed $80 million worldwide in two weeks. It was made for a modest $40 million.

The week’s only new release also came from Sony. “The Grudge,” a horror reboot of the 2004 remake produced by Sam Raimi, opened with $11.3 million. That was a fair total for a movie that cost $10 million to make and received some withering reaction from critics and audiences. “The Grudge” scored just 18% on Rotten Tomatoes and engendered a rarely seen F CinemaScore from moviegoers.

Ahead of Sunday evening’s Golden Globes, a handful of contenders added momentum.

Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” held better than any other film in the top 10, dropping just 9% and grossing $9 million in its sixth weekend. Its global tally stands at $247.5 million.

Sam Mendes’ war film “1917” is poised for its national expansion next week after a second weekend of packed theaters in limited release. It took in $590,000 at 11 theaters, good for an impressive per-theater average of $53,100.

And though it was overlooked by the Globes, the Safdie brothers’ “Uncut Gems,” starring Adam Sandler, is becoming one of A24’s biggest box-office successes. It grossed $7.8 million in its fourth and widest weekend of release, bringing its domestic overall total to $36.8 million.

After a box office year that was down 4% from 2018, Hollywood began 2020 on the upswing. Ticket sales were up 7.2% from the same weekend last year, according to data firm Comscore.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included.

1. “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker,” $33.7 million ($50.5 million international).
2. “Jumanji: The Next Level,” $26.5 million ($42.4 million international).
3. “Little Women,” $13.6 million ($9.5 million international).
4. “The Grudge,” $11.3 million ($5.8 million international).
5. “Frozen 2,” $11.3 million ($42.4 million international).
6. “Spies in Disguise,” $10.1 million ($15.8 million international).
7. “Knives Out,” $9 million ($8.8 million international).
8. “Uncut Gems,” $7.8 million.
9. “Bombshell,” $4.1 million.
10. “Cats,” $2.6 million ($4.3 million international).

GSG