'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' repeats at No. 1 with $69M at the box office

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Daisy Ridley's Rey and Adam Driver's Kylo Ren are front and center, alongside co-stars Mark Hamill, John Boyega and Carrie Fisher, in the new trailer for 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi.' Lucasfilm

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Star Wars: The Last Jedi is continuing its dominance over the movie galaxy as expected, outpacing three new releases. The eighth installment in the Disney-owned space saga is expected to add another nearly $69 million to its coffers over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Sony's adventure caper Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle debuted in second place with $34 million. A pair of critically panned new musicals followed: Universal's Pitch Perfect 3 opened in third place with $20.4 million and Fox's The Greatest Showman debuted in fourth with $8.6 million.

These three new releases collectively earned less than The Last Jedi since opening on Friday.

"It's an overwhelming array of options at the movie theater, which could prove daunting to most moviegoers," said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of comScore. "But you'd have to be a Scrooge not to find a movie you like in this marketplace."

Sony's president of distribution, Adrian Smith, said he was "absolutely pleased" with the performance of Jumanji so far.

"It's above our expectations," he said. "We have incredible momentum as we head into one of the biggest movie-going weeks of the year."

Dergarabedian said the period between Christmas and New Year's Day is traditionally among the busiest times at the Cineplex. Families are together and theaters are brimming with blockbusters and awards-season hopefuls. Two celebrated films, Darkest Hour and The Shape of Water, expanded to hundreds more screens this weekend.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, $68.5 million.

2. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, $34 million.

3. Pitch Perfect 3, $20.4 million.

4. The Greatest Showman, $8.6 million.

5. Ferdinand, $7 million.

6. Coco, $5.2 million.

7. Downsizing, $4.6 million.

8. Darkest Hour, $4.1 million.

9. Father Figures, $3.2 million.

10. The Shape of Water, $3 million.

More: 10 burning 'Last Jedi' questions we need answered in 'Star Wars: Episode IX' (spoilers!)

Also: Your must-see 2017 holiday movie guide is here