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Box-Office Weekend: The Force is King as The Rise of Skywalker Dominates

Mike Tyrkus
Box Office Weekend

While there was little doubt exactly which film would top the box-office weekend before Christmas, what was up for debate was just how much the concluding chapter in the Skywalker saga, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker would make. Ultimately, the film took in $175.5 million domestically its opening weekend, easily dominating the weekend box-office top ten.

Despite the bawdy numbers, the film still took in less than the $220 million that the last film in the series—Star Wars: The Last Jedi—did just two years ago during its opening weekend.

In a very distant second place was last week’s top film, Jumanji: The Next Level, which made $26.1 million giving the sequel a cumulative total of $101.9 million. Even further behind that total, around half actually, was Frozen II with $12.3 million. In its fifth week of release, the animated Disney film has made $386.5 million.

The other debut this weekend, the critically derided live version of the musical Cats, made a mere $6.5 million during its first three days of release. Meanwhile, last week’s third-place film, Knives Out, fell to fifth taking in $6.1 million. This gives the Rian Johnson-directed film a four-week total of $89.6 million. Meanwhile, cracking the top ten in its second week of release was the Jay Roach directed Bombshell, starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, and a nearly unrecognizable John Lithgow as Roger Ailes. The film took in $5.1 million, finishing in sixth place while lifting its two-week tally to $5.5 million.

Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell, which was also in its second week of release, fell from the fourth spot last weekend to the seventh this time around, sporting $2.6 million and cumulative total of $9.5 million. Meanwhile, last week’s seventh-place finisher feel to eighth as Queen & Slim took in $1.9 million to give the urban crime romance a seven-week total of $36.6 million.

Plummeting from fifth-place last weekend down to ninth this go around was the holiday-themed horror remake Black Christmas, which managed $1.8 million in its second week of release. Similarly, last weekend’s sixth-place film, Ford v Ferrari, finished in the final spot this weekend with $1.8 million (just behind Black Christmas) and a six-week cumulative total of $102 million.

Again, three films left the top ten this weekend. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood departs after an impressive five-week run sporting a cumulative total of $52.5 million. Elsewhere, Dark Waters, leaves the top ten after five weeks with a more disappointing total of $10.1 million. Finally, the action crime drama, 21 Bridges, departed the top ten after making just $27.2 million over its first five weeks of release.

The box-office will undoubtedly be affected by new releases like Uncut Gems and Little Women, but it’s also possible that things could remain relatively calm and intact during the holiday weekend.

Weekend Box-Office (December 20th – December 22nd)

  1. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker…$175.5 Million
  2. Jumanji: The Next Level…$26.1 Million
  3. Frozen II…$12.3 Million
  4. Cats…$6.5 Million
  5. Knives Out…$6.1 Million
  6. Bombshell…$5.1 Million
  7. Richard Jewell…$2.6 Million
  8. Queen & Slim…$1.9 Million
  9. Black Christmas…$1.8 Million
  10. Ford v Ferrari…$1.8 Million

Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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