‘Jumanji’ Passes ‘Spider-Man,’ Is Now Sony’s Biggest Movie Ever
It can sometimes be difficult to put a movie’s success in perspective. So here’s a good way to do that with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the surprise hit sequel to the ’90s hit about a board game that comes to life. With $403.7 million in grosses, it’s now the biggest domestic hit ever in the history of Sony Pictures, topping the original Spider-Man from 2002.
Here, via Deadline is Sony’s thinking as to why the film was such a monster blockbuster:
‘It’s not the IP, it’s the ‘I’ — the idea,’ Sony Pictures Entertainment Group chairman Tom Rothman explains about the success of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. ‘Before the obsession grew with known properties only, big ideas are what powered big movies.’ At its center, Jumanji has a heartfelt story about teenagers at vulnerable points in their lives who turn into characters who are the opposite of their insecurities, a concept further heightened by Johnson’s, Hart’s and Black’s comedic sensibilities.
Some more perspective, via Box Office Mojo: 2manji is the fourth biggest movie of the last 365 days, behind only Black Panther, Star Wars, and Wonder Woman. It’s the biggest movie ever for Dwayne Johnson in the U.S., and that dude’s been in several Fast & Furiouses. It’s creeping up on $1 billion in worldwide grosses; it’s already made more money than several Harry Potters and Lord of the Ringses, along with Finding Nemo and Spider-Man: Homecoming (yet another Sony property, if you’re keeping track at home; they had a good 2017). And Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle made four times as much in U.S. theaters as the original film did back in the ’90s.
Of course, if you adjust for inflation, the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man made the equivalent of $560 million dollars in 2002, which would make it a bigger hit than Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Even still, this movie made way more money than anyone anticipated. Except maybe The Rock. That guy is like a box office fortune teller.
Gallery - The Biggest Box Office Hits Ever: