Talk about a death-defying stunt.

“The Greatest Showman,” a musical about the circus impresario P.T. Barnum, was dismissed by many critics when it arrived in theaters just before Christmas. Uncool. Old-fashioned. Mawkish. And when initial ticket sales were poor, most box office analysts decided “The Greatest Showman” was a prime example of Hollywood being unable to pry people away from their Netflix accounts. Better stick to the superheroes and sequels.

Over the past four weeks, however, “The Greatest Showman” (20th Century Fox) has become a rare sleeper hit, lifted by positive word of mouth, stunt marketing (singalong screenings) and a popular soundtrack album. Ticket sales in the United States and Canada now stand at $113.5 million, including an $11 million haul between Friday and Sunday, good for fifth place over the weekend. The movie stars Hugh Jackman and Zendaya and was produced by a team that included Peter Chernin and Laurence Mark.

Similarly underappreciated movies dominated the weekend box office, with “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (Sony) leading the charge. Derided by most of Hollywood before its release as an act of desperation by a franchise-starved Sony, “Jumanji” was No. 1 for a third consecutive weekend, collecting about $20 million, for a new domestic total of $317 million. That astounding result is roughly in line with “Skyfall,” the 2012 James Bond hit, after adjusting for inflation.