Golden Globes win boosts 1917 past Star Wars

George MacKay is among the stars of the Universal/Dreamworks’ World War I film 1917. It took the top spot at last weekend’s box office and made about $36.5 million.
George MacKay is among the stars of the Universal/Dreamworks’ World War I film 1917. It took the top spot at last weekend’s box office and made about $36.5 million.

LOS ANGELES -- Boosted by its Golden Globes best picture win, Universal/Dreamworks' 1917 unseated Disney's Star Wars: Episode IX -- The Rise of Skywalker from the top spot at the box office after three weeks of dominance, adding an unprecedented $36.5 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $39.2 million.

The $90 million historical battlefield drama from director Sam Mendes expanded into wide release over the weekend after winning best picture, drama and best director awards at the Jan. 5 ceremony. It was anticipated to earn $20 million to $25 million. Globally, the film has earned $60.4 million.

Starring George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones), the World War I picture was positively received by audiences and critics with an A-minus CinemaScore and a 90% fresh rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

"This is the blueprint for how to perfectly execute the platform release for an Oscar nominee and [potential] Oscar winner," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.

While the epic wartime feel of 1917, which was shot and edited to appear as though it was done in a single take, makes it a natural for major awards, its triumphs at the Golden Globes were a surprise over other dramas including The Irishman and Marriage Story.

"I hope this means that people will turn up and see this on the big screen, the way it was intended," Mendes said at the Globes ceremony. Those hopes weren't unfounded.

A good weekend was expected for the film, but it shot past those expectations.

"It's the not like the kids were clamoring for a World War I trench drama," Dergarabedian said. "A film like this could have easily slipped off the radar."

In second place, Star Wars added $15.1 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $478.2 million. The film has collected $989.6 million in worldwide receipts and stands poised to become Disney's seventh 2019 release to cross the billion-dollar milestone.

At No. 3, Columbia's Jumanji: The Next Level added $14 million in its fifth weekend for a cumulative $257.1 million.

Paramount's Like a Boss opened with $10 million in a virtual dead heat for fourth place with Warner Bros.' Just Mercy.

The $29 million Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne comedy Boss stars the pair as best friends and co-owners of an up-and-coming makeup company forced to choose between brand integrity and a sudden windfall after being approached by a wealthy investor (Salma Hayek).

It earned a mixed reception, with a B CinemaScore and harsher reaction from critics with a 21% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Just Mercy added 2,371 locations (up from four last weekend) and $10 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $10.4 million.

Starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, playing a wrongfully convicted inmate in the adaptation of Bryan Stevenson's memoir.

It was positively received, with an A-plus CinemaScore and an 82% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

At No. 6, Columbia's Little Women added $7.7 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $74 million.

In seventh place, Fox's Underwater sank to the bottom with $7 million.

The $80 million sci-fi feature stars Kristen Stewart as an aquatic researcher plagued by a mysterious creature miles below the ocean's surface. It was poorly received with a C CinemaScore and a 53% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

At No. 8, Disney's Frozen II added $5.8 million in its eighth weekend for a cumulative $459.4 million.

In ninth place, Lionsgate's Knives Out added $5.7 million in its seventh weekend for a cumulative $139.6 million.

Rounding out the top 10, Fox's Spies in Disguise added $5.1 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $54.6 million.

Columbia's The Grudge dropped out of the top 10 in its second weekend, adding $3.5 million (a 69% drop) for a cumulative $17.9 million.

In limited release, Neon's Clemency expanded into 10 locations in its third weekend (up from nine last weekend) to $13,450 for a dreary per-screen average of $1,345 and a cumulative $101,847.

Amazon Studios opened Les Misérables in four locations to $24,414 for a per-screen average of $6,103.

In advance of its North American debut next weekend, Universal's Dolittle reboot opened internationally in four territories to $8.1 million. Reemerging Miramax's The Gentlemen, which STX opens domestically on Jan. 24, earned $4 million this weekend across three markets for a cumulative $14.2 million.

This week, Columbia's highly anticipated Bad Boys for Life also opens. In limited release, Epic Pictures debuts The Wave.

MovieStyle on 01/17/2020

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