Jumanji: The Next Level was released in cinemas in 18 territories outside of the US this past weekend including China and Malaysia. The film raked in RM 19 million in Malaysia (approx $US 4.5 million) in its first four days of release, making it the biggest opening weekend in the month of December of all time, at the Malaysian box office. If the film continues its strong run, there is a high chance that it surpasses its predecessor’s frankly mind-boggling numbers. In 2017, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, raked in over RM 54 million ($US 13 million) at the local box office. It’s now the fourth highest-grossing movie in Malaysia of all time, only behind Avengers: Endgame (RM 87 million; $US 21 million), Avengers: Infinity War (RM 71 million; $US 17 million) and Furious 7 (RM 60.6 million; $US 15.9 million). Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which was also released in December 2017, got trounced by Welcome to the Jungle, grossing only RM 15.4 million ($US 3.7 million). It’s highly possible that history could repeat itself.
That said, Jumanji: The Next Level may not be performing as strongly as some might’ve hoped in China, which is weirdly enough the place where The Rock is box office king. The film earned a reported $US 25 million over the weekend, $US 14 million less than Welcome to the Jungle‘s opening. However, the film has been doing pretty well in certain European countries. Thus far, Jumanji: The Next Level has grossed $US 52 million across the 18 territories it has been released. Jumanji: The Next Level is a pretty decent film. In my review, I wrote: Much like the 2017 flick the actual adventure itself is at times bland, if not profoundly pointless. Yes, there are some absolutely fantastic set-pieces that are highly imaginative and spectacular to behold, particularly the one involving a horde of evil Mandrils (Jake Kasdan has definitely upped his game as far as CGI is concerned too). But, at the end of the day, the characters are just in search of a meaningless glowy jewel hanging around the neck of a highly forgettable villain. What the journey does provide is plenty of character growth, making the best parts of the film the ones where character are searching their feelings, exploring their mortality or simply having little back and forths with one another. And since large parts of the film comprise of these, The Next Level is well worth the watch. Jumanji: The Next Level is now playing in Malaysian cinemas.
