The Last Jedi Still Killing It

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is continuing its dominance over the movie galaxy, reports the AP, outpacing three new releases. The eighth installment in the Disney-owned space saga is expected to add another $68.5 million to its coffers over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. It has now grossed more than $745 million worldwide, notes Variety. Sony's adventure caper Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle debuted in second place with $34 million. A pair of critically panned new musicals followed: Universal's Pitch Perfect 3 opened in third place with $20.4 million and Fox's The Greatest Showman debuted in fourth with $8.6 million. These three new releases collectively earned less than The Last Jedi since opening on Friday.

"It's an overwhelming array of options at the movie theater, which could prove daunting to most moviegoers," says a comScore analyst. "But you'd have to be a Scrooge not to find a movie you like in this marketplace." The analyst said the period between Christmas and New Year's Day is traditionally among the busiest times at the Cineplex. Families are together and theaters are brimming with blockbusters and awards-season hopefuls. Two celebrated films, Darkest Hour and The Shape of Water, expanded to hundreds more screens this weekend. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday. Rounding out the top five was Ferdinand, with $7 million; Matt Damon's Downsizing debuted in seventh with $4.2 million. (The Last Jedi's Rotten Tomatoes score might be bogus.)