Box Office: '1917' heads for victory with 37 million, 'Star Wars' surrenders
'1917' which had been tracking for a $20 million to $25 million weekend, also ends the reign of Star Wars.
Sam Mendes' 1917 won the box office with a victorious $14 million for a projected $37 million US weekend, well ahead of expectations and one of the best nationwide starts ever for the month of January.
The acclaimed World War I drama, which had been tracking for a $20 million to $25 million weekend, also ends the reign of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which had topped the charts since blasting off Dec 20.
1917 is no doubt getting a boost from its top Golden Globe wins last weekend. More than 50 percent of ticket buyers were 35 or older, while 60 percent were male.
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Watch the trailer of '1917' here
The period war epic, costing roughly $90 million to produce before marketing, was filmed to appear as if it were unfolding in one continuous shot.
'Rise of Skywalker', which has grossed north of $950 million globally, will come in No. 2 in its fourth weekend with an estimated $15 million to $16 million, followed by fellow holdover Jumanji: The Next Level with $13 million to $14 million in its fifth weekend.
Watch the trailer of 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' here
Paramount's 'Like a Boss', the first R-rated studio comedy of 2020, opened to $3.9 million on Friday for a projected $11 million domestic debut. The Michael Arteta-directed pic stars Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne and Salma Hayek, and tells the tale of two best friends whose beauty company is targeted by a cosmetics titan.
'Like a Boss' has been lambasted by critics but fared somewhat better with audiences. Two-thirds of ticket buyers were female, while 65 percent were 35 and younger.
The comedy is in a close race for fourth place with legal drama 'Just Mercy', another awards hopeful that opened in select cinemas over the holidays before expanding nationwide on Friday to $3.7 million.
'Just Mercy'— stars Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. Almost half of Friday ticket buyers were 50 and older.
Little Women remains a crowd-pleaser in its third outing. The Oscar hopeful and breakout box office hit is on course for a $7 million-plus weekend for a domestic total of roughly $75 million through Sunday.
Sci-fi thriller 'Underwater', starring Kristen Stewart, is getting lost in its domestic opening. The pic grossed $2.5 million on Friday for a projected $6 million to $7 million launch, a worrisome start for a movie that cost $50 million to make before marketing.
