‘Rise Of Skywalker’ In Box Office Battle With ‘Little Women’ And ‘Uncut Gems’

Despite an extremely divisive fanbase, one that has even considered “Star Wars” to be over as long-time fans have known it, “The Rise of Skywalker” stands on-top of the holiday box office rush. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Star Wars” Christmas day box office numbers have wrangled $35 million thus far, second only to director J.J. Abrams’ previous “Star Wars” outing, 2015’s “The Force Awakens.”

It’s only the beginning of a story in a galaxy far, far away, as “The Rise of Skywalker” Holiday box office projections are on track to Force choke $150 million from Wednesday to Sunday. While the lackluster turn-around on “Cats” reviews proved the musical adaption simply could not take on the behemoth of “Star Wars,” other recent releases, such as “Jumanji 2,” “Uncut Gems,” and “Little Women” are both on track to nibble away at the Christmas box office tentpole.

Sony Pictures sits in both the second and third spots in the holiday box office 2019 race with both “Jumanji: The Next Level” and “Little Women.” The former boasts a potential $128 million, with Christmas box office numbers averaging $12.5 million. One “Jumanji 2” review considers it “another surprisingly great video game movie,” though if it can extinguish “Star Wars” remains to be seen.

Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” book adaption holds a box office projection of $7 to $8 million for Christmas day so far, potentially reaching $12.5 million on a 3-day track and $24 million within 5 days, according to Deadline. The mostly female star-studded film, which stars Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, and Meryl Streep, will attempt to draw female moviegoers away from “Star Wars” and “Bombshell.”

The Adam Sandler and Keven Garnett-led “Uncut Gems” is another Christmas contender to “The Rise of Skywalker,” with a $6 million box office accumulation thus far, which includes its Christmas Eve showtime numbers. On top of “Star Wars” holiday box office numbers, A24’s “Uncut Gems” will have to draw older audiences away from other releases, such as Sam Mendes’ “1917” and Dustin Daniel Cretton’s “Just Mercy,” which both opened in select cities nationwide.

Disney is likewise dueling itself this Christmas with the animated feature “Spies in Disguise,” produced by the now Disney-owned 20th Century Fox, which has thus far averaged $5 million and may well rake in $12 to $24 million within the next 5 days. With the “Spies in Disguise” cast boasting both Will Smith and Tom Holland, Disney attempts to accumulate as much as possible this Christmas holiday box office season alongside its “Star Wars” tentpole.