WINNER

‘1917’ Surpasses ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ at Box Office

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which has been the box office frontrunner since its December debut, is no longer on top.

Sam Mendes’ 1917 soared in its first weekend of wide release with $36.5 million from 3,434 theaters, surpassing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which has been the frontrunner in box office sales since its December debut. Skywalker has garnered $478 million domestically and $990 million globally, and is expected to cross the billion-dollar mark next week. Universal and DreamWorks’ 1917 has earned $39.22 million in North America since opening in limited release on Christmas Day and brought in $21.17 million internationally, amassing $60 million. The film beat The Irishman and Marriage Story for the best drama Golden Globe, and Mendes won best director. “Awards season buzz and box-office success often run on parallel tracks and in the case of ‘1917,’ Universal’s perfectly executed platform release strategy is paying box office dividends and post-Globes, pre-Oscar awards season momentum,” Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Variety.