Weekend box office: 1917 takes the top spot from Star Wars

Brad Sturdivant January 12th, 2020

It’s rare that a film beloved by critics, but featuring no A-list stars in a lead role becomes a box office success, but that’s exactly what’s happening at the weekend box office. Sam Mendes’s 1917 (click the link to read our review) is flirting with a $40 million wide opening, hot off its Golden Globes win and setting itself up nicely for an Oscar nomination. This was good enough for first place, knocking STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER from its top spot. The other new movies didn’t fare quite as well as the star-studded comedy LIKE A BOSS barely managed a $10 million opening and the Kristen Stewart thriller UNDERWATER should feel lucky with close to $7 million. JUST MERCY came in right behind LIKE A BOSS.

Next week feels like a summer weekend given the two high profile blockbusters that are coming out. First up is BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, which has been in development for over 15 years but it’s finally seeing the light of day. This is a terrible release date for a film that could probably clean up with a mid-April release and some good marketing. Next up is Robert Downey Jr.’s DR. DOLITTLE, which looks terrible and has been plagued by a troubled production. Given the release date, I suspect the studio is down on the film, which usually translates to a lackluster box office performance. It’s a tough weekend to predict, but I’m thinking BAD BOYS FOR LIFE has the edge. Note: the numbers below will be updated as they become final.

1. 1917 $37m

2. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker $15.3m

3. Jumanji: The Next Level $13.3m

4. Like a Boss $10.7m

5. Just Mercy $10.2m

6. Frozen 2 $7m

7. Underwater $6.7m

8. Little Women $5.8m

9. The Grudge $4m

10. Spies in Disguise $3m

(Deadline)