Daily Times

Force is still with ‘Star Wars,’ which has a big N.America opening. The force is clearly still with the galactic good guys, as “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” opened with a massive estimated take of $175.5 million in North America, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. The Disney film scored the third biggest December debut ever, behind only the two earlier chapters in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi,” according to Variety. “Rise of Skywalker,” directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac, blew away the weekend’s competition. Its domestic take was nearly seven times that of the No. 2 movie, Sony’s game-inspired “Jumanji: The Next Level,” which booked $26.1 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period. It stars Jack Black, Dwayne (“The Rock”) Johnson and Kevin Hart.