'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle' Beats 'Last Jedi' on New Years Day

From, left, Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johson, Karen Gillan and Jack Black star in "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Photo by Columbia Pictures).

LOS ANGELES – In an unexpected turn, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” has topped “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” at the New Years Day, earning $16.2 million in North America.

Lucasfilm's The Last Jedi earned $14.5 million for Disney by comparison, but the force was with “Last Jedi” still managed to beat “Jumanji” for the weekend with about $67 million, giving it a worldwide total to $1.067 billion, including $531.9 million in the U.S. alone.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “Last Jedi,” is 28 percent behind the $742 million grossed by “The Force Awakens” which was released around Christmas in 2015. But it is still ahead of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story which earned $1.06 billion last year. As it is, “Last Jedi” is set to overtake “Beauty and the Beast” which earned $1.26 billion, for top grossing film of 2017.