Sony Chairman Wants 'Jumanji 3' To Open Against 'Star Wars: Episode IX'

After the unexpected box office success of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Sony Pictures chairman [...]

After the unexpected box office success of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Sony Pictures chairman wants to take on the galaxy far, far away.

Tom Rothman, who took over the studio after the hacking scandal resulted in the departure of Amy Pascal, has overseen a string of hits that has seen Sony have its most successful year in some time.

A new report from the Wall Street Journal states that Rothman is planning to capitalize off of Jumanji's success with a third film in the franchise, hopeful to premiere in theaters in December 2019. That would bring the film up against Star Wars: Episode IX.

While it might not seem like the best idea for Sony to take on the giant Disney empire so soon after struggling for years, it just might work. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle opened less than one week after Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and has already made $769 worldwide since premiering in theaters.

Star Wars movies tend to dominate the box office, but other movies tend to do well in their shadow. Lower-budget films like Sisters and Daddy's Home opened around the same time as Star Wars: The Force Awakens and made $105 million and $242 million respectively.

And with the makings of a brand new franchise lead by fan-favorite actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Sony might be in a better position to go head to head with the Star Wars saga than any other studio. Star Wars will likely win, but Jumanji will still pull off some impressive numbers.

Of course, this might all be seen as a response to the fan backlash to the latest Star Wars film. If Star Wars: The Last Jedi had better reception from audiences, who knows if Jumanji would still have pulled in as many bucks as it has. And with Fox moving up the release of the Deadpool sequel to one week before Solo: A Star Wars Story, it's pretty apparent that studios aren't fearing Lucasfilm like they did before.

It remains to be seen if Sony's plans for Jumanji 3 pan out, and it could all depend on the participation of The Rock himself.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle are both playing in theaters now.

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