A movie featuring stars like Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Dwayne Johnson arguably seems poised to make money no matter what, but few could've expected the insane performance of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The film debuted shortly after Star Wars: The Last Jedi in December 2017, and it dominated with relatively little opposition through January -- pretty much defining the blockbuster scene until the debut of Black Panther. Now, with the numbers finally starting to solidify, it looks like the Jumanji reboot has topped Sam Raimi's Tobey Maguire-fronted Spider-Man movie to become Sony's domestically highest grossing film to date.
Per Deadline, it looks like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle's box office haul has stabilized, and it has officially cracked the $403.7 million domestic box office run of Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man movie. The iconic superhero origin story has held its position as Sony's top dog in the U.S. for the last 16 years, and it has arguably represented a watershed moment for the superhero genre. Now, with a total worldwide box office run of roughly $951 million (a close second to Skyfall's $1.1 billion global haul for Sony), it looks like the studio has a new domestic champion on its hands. Not bad for a film that went head-to-head with the latest entry in the Star Wars franchise.
There are obviously a few key factors that helped Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle reach this level of success. First and foremost, we need to talk about star power. With actors like Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in the mix, the film represented a clear box office draw to mainstream audiences. Also, nostalgia is a hot commodity right now (particularly nostalgia for the 1990s), so a return to the world of Jumanji has apparently been able to resonate with audiences looking for a blast from the past.
Beyond the immense financial rewards that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle has reaped for Sony, the film has also become a significant benchmark for each of its stars. Not only is the film the highest-grossing project for Dwayne Johnson (even surpassing last year's blockbuster debut of The Fate of the Furious), but the film also beats Karen Gillan's Marvel Cinematic Universe outings, Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. As a whole, the film has become a total win for almost everyone involved in its production, so we will have to wait and see how Sony chooses to expand and evolve the mythology of the Jumanji franchise as it moves forward into the future.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is now available on Digital HD, Blu-ray, and 4K, so if you missed it while it was in theaters you can pick up a copy and check it out to see what all of the fuss is about! As for 2018, check out our movie premiere guide to see what major movies are on the horizon for this year!
