"Star Wars" was still rising in the last weekend of the year, while "Little Women" broke big at the box office.

"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" brought in $72 million over the weekend to remain the top-earning film in North America by light-years, according to studio estimates.

In 10 days of release it has brought in $362.8 million for Disney, falling just short of the earnings of its predecessor, 2017's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" in a comparable span.

Helped by the Christmas holiday week, "Star Wars" had a smaller-than-average 59% drop-off in its second weekend after earning $175 million.

"For a movie that opened that big, that is a modest drop," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. "Movies that open this time of year, they usually have legs."

Sony's "Jumanji: The Next Level," earned $35.3 million for second place and has tallied a total of $175.5 million through its third weekend of release.

Director Greta Gerwig's re-imagining of the American literary classic "Little Women" had a $16.5 million weekend and a five-day total of $29 million since its Christmas opening, a major performance for a smaller-audience film with a budget dwarfed by the top two films.

The film starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and Laura Dern scored big with both audiences and critics and is gaining momentum as an awards-season favorite.

"With Greta Gerwig's reputation as a filmmaker, a great cast and a perfect holiday release date, they've got quite a hit on their hands," Dergarabedian said. Estimated ticket sales for the weekend:

1. "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," $72 million.

2. "Jumanji: The Next Level," $35.3 million.

3. "Little Women," $16.5 million.

4. "Frozen 2," $16.5 million.

5. "Spies in Disguise," $13.2 million.

6. "Knives Out," $9.7 million.

7. "Uncut Gems," $9.6 million.

8. "Cats," $4.83 million.

9. "Bombshell," $4.7 million.

10. "Richard Jewell," $3 million.

ASSOCIATED PRESS