‘Jumanji: Open World’ Could Be Gearing Up to Top the Franchise’s Last Big Opening

Christmas movies tend to carry a special kind of pressure, and few franchises know that better than ‘Jumanji.’ Both of the Dwayne Johnson-led adventures arrived in the middle of the holiday rush, when families pack theaters and studios fight for every screen.

The first of those films, ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,’ opened to $36,169,328 domestically on a $90 million budget, and it went on to finish with $404,508,916 at the domestic box office. That was a stronger run than almost anyone expected for a legacy sequel built around a 1990s family favorite.

Now, a fresh claim about the series’ final chapter is making the rounds online. DiscussingFilm posted on X that ‘Jumanji: Open World’ is tracking to open bigger than ‘Jumanji: The Next Level.’ The account also noted that the previous 2 films have earned a combined $1.76 billion worldwide.

That math holds up against the public numbers. ‘The Next Level’ finished with $795,356,912 worldwide, while ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ ended at $961,632,807. Together, they land almost exactly where the post says.

The bar to clear is a high one. ‘The Next Level’ debuted in first place with $60.1 million, according to early estimates, dethroning ‘Frozen II’ after 3 consecutive weeks as box office champ. The final tally for that opening weekend came in at $59,251,543. I wasn’t able to find the specific tracking figures behind the DiscussingFilm post, so the exact projection is worth treating cautiously until more outlets publish numbers.

Even so, the case for a big start is easy to understand. ‘The Next Level’ opened 66% higher than ‘Welcome to the Jungle,’ though the earlier film’s Wednesday launch made that an uneven comparison. The franchise has shown it can grow its opening weekend, and a final installment carries a built-in “last chance” appeal.

Sony is leaning into that angle. The film is positioned as the fifth and final installment in the series, directed by Jake Kasdan, who co-wrote the script with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The Christmas Day release date also comes with the promise that nearly the whole cast from the earlier films is returning.

The story itself flips the formula fans know. Instead of the players going into the game, the trailer shows the game coming to our world. The cast includes Danny DeVito, and Sony is calling it the final chapter. It is a fitting twist, since ‘The Next Level’ already teased real-world chaos by ending with ostriches loose outside a restaurant, which is exactly the creature shown on the poster in the viral post.

Timing could help or hurt. The movie was originally scheduled for December 11, but it was moved to avoid competition with ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Dune: Part Three.’ It now opens December 25 in the US, UK and India, with Australia following on December 26, and Sony’s marketing promises premium formats.

A Christmas Day debut also complicates how opening weekends get measured, since holiday schedules can skew the typical 3-day comparison. Whether ‘Open World’ actually beats the $59 million-plus mark will depend on how audiences respond to the new premise and how much of the holiday crowd chooses it over the other big films in theaters.

For now, the early buzz suggests the franchise isn’t fading quietly. If the tracking claim proves accurate, ‘Jumanji’ could end its run on one of its biggest opening weekends yet, just a few weeks from now.