'The Last Jedi' will be the 3rd highest-grossing movie of the year by Christmas day
- "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" continues to dominate at the box office.
- It will be the third-best domestic box office earner of 2017 by Christmas day.
- "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" has an impressive start to its theatrical run.
Despite the movie not being as universally praised by the hardcore "Star Wars" fans as "The Force Awakens," Disney/Lucasfilm's "The Last Jedi" will easily win the Christmas holiday weekend at the box office.
The movie took in an estimated $68.4 million by Sunday, and will have earned $100.6 million by Monday, according to BoxOfficePro.
That continues to keep pace behind "The Force Awakens" (around a 25%-30%) and ahead of last year's "Star Wars" release, "Rogue One" (20%-25%). Though it's a steep (for "Star Wars" standards) 69% drop from the movie's opening weekend last week, it won't make a difference for the movie's box office power as "The Last Jedi" closes in on a $1 billion worldwide gross.
On Saturday, "Last Jedi" passed the $300 million mark at the domestic box office and $600 worldwide. The milestones were met with the movie being in theaters for just eight days. With the movie's total at $397 million domestically by Christmas day, that will put the movie in third place for the best box office of the year (passing Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" with $389.8 million).
This is all being done in a time of year when interest to go to the multiplex is extremely high and there are a lot of options for audiences.
The movie came in second place with a solid $34 million by Sunday and will get to a $64 million by Monday since its Wednesday opening. Not bad for a $90 million movie that has to compete with the latest "Star Wars" title.
Universal's "Pitch Perfect 3" had a solid start in what will be the final chapter in the surprisingly successful a cappella comedy franchise. Taking in $20.5 million by Sunday, $27 million projected for its four-day to put it in third place, Universal saw this as the option for female audiences who aren't into "Star Wars."
But underperforming is 20th Century Fox's "The Greatest Showman." Starring Hugh Jackman as circus impresario, P.T. Barnum, the $84 million musical only took in $8.6 million over the three-day weekend on 3,006 screens. It has $18.19 million since opening on Wednesday.