Jumanji defeats Frozen at weekend box office Published By MayW on Dec 15, 2019

Jumanji: The Next Level debuted in theaters this weekend and took first place, pushing the hit animated sequel Frozen II to second after its 3-week reign at the top. Two other new movies - Richard Jewell and Black Christmas - landed in the top five at the weekend box office as well.

The highly anticipated sequel Jumanji: The Next Level starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, surpassed expectations, earning $60.1 million in its first weekend - more than the $36.1 million its predecessor Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle made during its opening weekend in December 2017. It's also the 13th-biggest December opening ever, and Sony Pictures' biggest December debut of all time.

Frozen II dropped one spot to second in its fourth weekend, earning an additional $19.2 million for a total domestic haul of $366.5 million. The animated sequel is the first holiday release to top the coveted $100 million mark.

The murder mystery Knives Out starring Daniel Craig and Chris Evans earned an additional $9.3 million for a total take of $78.9 million.

Richard Jewell, directed by Clint Eastwood and based on a true story, took in $5.0 million, landing it in fourth place in its first weekend.

Rounding out the top five was Black Christmas, a remake of the 1974 horror film of the same name.  It earned $4.4 million in its debut weekend. ~May Wong