Weekend Box Office Report: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker explodes at #1!

Star Wars sequel rises to the top!

The Skywalker saga finally came to a finish this weekend and blasted into first place at the box office as STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER opened with an estimated $175.5 million!

Even after a massive $90 million opening day (including $40 million from Thursday night previews), the conclusion of George Lucas's space opera that began back in 1977 continued the trend of diminishing returns, after STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS started out with a (then) record-breaking $247.9 million weekend in 2015 and STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI opened with $220 million in 2017. (THE FORCE AWAKENS still remains the biggest domestic release in history with a total of $936 million.)

Director J.J. Abrams' second time around with Jedi prodigy Rey (Daisy Ridley) and her Resistance companions Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) also had a slower domestic start than Disney's own remake of THE LION KING, which opened in July of this year with $191 million, and the $182 million debut of last summer's animated Pixar sequel INCREDIBLES 2. (Nine of the ten all-time biggest domestic openings are Disney releases, with JURASSIC WORLD's $208 million as the sole outlier.)

The new PG-13 sci-fi epic, complete with a vast array of friendly droids, aliens and humans (including Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher) in battle with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order, also Force-pulled $198 million from international audiences for a worldwide weekend of $373.5 million.

While the STAR WARS universe will obviously endure in further films, TV series and every possible form of media, bringing the third linked trilogy in the lucrative franchise to its raucous resolution may have cost as much as $300 million.

Critics clearly weren't fawning over the galactic finale's familiar feeling, giving the movie a 58% average on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to the 93% for THE FORCE AWAKENS and the 91% for THE LAST JEDI), with a Metacritic score of 54. You can lock lightsabers with the JoBlo reviews HERE and HERE.

In second place was the PG-13 action-comedy sequel JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL with $26.1 million, cut by 56% from its first-place opening last weekend.

Sony's $125 million adventure with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black as game avatars has a ten-day domestic total of $101.9 million and a worldwide total of $311.9 million — about a third of the way to JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE's final $964 million global total.

The animated fairy tale sequel FROZEN II was in third place with $12.3 million, bringing Disney's PG-rated fantasy to a domestic total of $386.5 million and a worldwide total of $1.05 billion after five weekends.

Slinking into fourth place was the new PG-rated musical CATS with an opening weekend of $6.5 million.

Directed by Tom Hooper (THE KING'S SPEECH), Universal's adaptation of the popular Broadway show started with just a fraction of Hooper's screen version of musical drama LES MISERABLES, which opened with $27.2 million in December of 2012.

Presenting the frisky singing felines in the humanoid forms of Idris Elba, Judi Dench, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen and Taylor Swift cost a reported $95 million.

Critics were bewildered by the furry prancing Jellicles, giving the movie a 19% average on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 32 on Metacritic. Prowl on over to the JoBlo review HERE.

In fifth place was the all-star crime-comedy KNIVES OUT with $6.1 million on its fourth weekend. Filmmaker Rian Johnson's $40 million murder mystery has a domestic total of $89.5 million and a worldwide total of $185.5 million.

In sixth place was the R-rated drama BOMBSHELL with $5 million as it expanded from limited release to nearly 1500 screens, giving it a $5.4 million domestic total.

Directed by Jay Roach (AUSTIN POWERS, MEET THE PARENTS), the Fox News scandal with Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie cost a reported $32 million.

The fact-based controversy currently holds a 65% critical average on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 64 on Metacritic, with the JoBlo review right HERE.

Director Clint Eastwood's R-rated drama RICHARD JEWELL was in seventh place with $2.5 million, a drop of 45% from its modest opening last weekend. Warner Bros.' fact-based story surrounding the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing has a ten-day domestic total of $9.5 million, on a reported cost of $45 million.

In eighth place was the R-rated Daniel Kaluuya/Jodie Turner-Smith drama QUEEN & SLIM with $1.8 million for a domestic total of $36.5 million on its fourth weekend in theaters (it cost a reported $17 million).

The PG-13 remake of BLACK CHRISTMAS was in ninth place with $1.8 million, slashed by 58% from last weekend's opening. Universal's holiday horror movie has a ten-day domestic total of $7.2 million and $13.3 million worldwide, on a reported $5 million cost.

Closing out the list was director James Mangold's fact-based racing drama FORD V FERRARI with $1.8 million. After six weeks, the PG-13 Fox release with Matt Damon and Christian Bale has a domestic total of $101.9 million and $192.9 million worldwide on a reported $98 million cost.

Outside the chart, Tom Hanks put the cardigan back in the closet as the Fred Rogers drama A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD said goodbye, along with the the fact-based Mark Ruffalo/Anne Hathaway legal drama DARK WATERS and the Chadwick Boseman action-thriller 21 BRIDGES.

In limited release, the acclaimed R-rated Adam Sandler crime-drama UNCUT GEMS continued to shine, now up to a domestic total of $1 million on just five screens.

Next week delivers Christmas Day gifts with a feathered Will Smith in the animated SPIES IN DISGUISE, director Sam Mendes' WWI drama 1917 and and Greta Gerwig's adaptation of literary classic LITTLE WOMEN, while limited releases include the Jamie Foxx/Michael B. Jordan drama JUST MERCY.

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