Weekend box office: The Grudge falters while Star Wars stays on top

When trying to predict the box office numbers, I always caution to not bet against a horror movie, even a bad one. But something felt different about THE GRUDGE and it turns out the film could barely muster a top five finish at the weekend box office. The film seems to be generally despised by critics and fans alike, proving that it takes more than a few cheap thrills to appease horror fans. That paved the way for STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER and JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL to continue their 1-2 punch at the box office, easily holding off all challengers yet again.

Next week sees a hodgepodge of new movies coming out. First up is the much anticipated 1917 from director Sam Mendes. Most critics have seen it by now and most of us love it, so it will be interesting to see how it does at the box office. We also have the awards chasing JUST MERCY with Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, which is commendable, but not quite good enough to get awards consideration. Then, in a bit of counter-marketing, the comedy LIKE A BOSS should fill the comedy void at the box office while Kristen Stewart’s UNDERWATER will try to appeal to the thriller fans. The wildcard here is 1917, since it’s hard to predict how the mass audiences will react, but I still think STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER makes it four in a row. Note: the numbers below will be updated as they become final.

1. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker $36m

2. Jumanji: The Next Level $28.1m

3. Little Women $14.1m

4. The Grudge $12.6m

5. Frozen 2 $11m

6. Spies in Disguise $10.4m

7. Knives Out $7.1m

8. Uncut Gems $6.3m

9. Bombshell $3.8m

10. Cats $3m

(Deadline)

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