“The Jungle Book” earned an estimated $103.6 million in its opening weekend, soaring past expert-projected figures to become the third largest opening of the year. It fell just behind “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which gained $166 million upon opening, and also “Deadpool,” which earned $132.4 million during its first weekend in theaters.
Disney’s new live-action family film, directed by Jon Favreau, opened in 4,028 theaters and earned an A from CinemaScore audiences as well as a 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes score. It counts as the second biggest April opening ever, behind Universal’s massive “Furious 7” hit, which debuted with a $147.2 million weekend. According to ComScore metrics, “Jungle Book” is the fifth biggest PG-rated debut on record.
Disney’s adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s tales, also a remake of its 1967 animated classic, dramatically overshadowed MGM-New Line’s sequel comedy “Barbershop: The Next Cut,” which came in second with a $20.2 million opening weekend. The third in the “Barbershop” series, starring Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer, opened in 2,662 locations and earned just more than its expected $20 million take — not bad for a movie that was said to have been made for less than $20 million.
Universal’s Melissa McCarthy comedy “The Boss” held third position with a $10.2 million second weekend, earning a cumulative $40.4 million. It landed ahead of Warner Brothers tentpole “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which added $9 million to its total $311.3 million domestic take. In its seventh consecutive weekend, Disney’s “Zootopia” proved that it’s still making money, coming in fifth with $8.2 million. That puts its domestic total at $307.5 million.
Lionsgate’s R-rated action crime drama “Criminal,” starring Kevin Costner, had a disappointing sixth-place debut, bringing in $5.85 million from 2,683 theaters.
“The Jungle Book” surpassed the opening weekends of other Disney live-action films based on animated classics: “Maleficent,” which earned $69.9 million, and “Cinderella,” which garnered a first-weekend total of $67.9 million. However, “Jungle Book” didn’t quite beat the weekend opening of 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland,” which kicked off with a whopping $116.1 million weekend.
Its massive $103.6 million opening pushed the overall domestic box office up 8.5 percent from the same weekend last year. “The Jungle Book” earned $10.4 million in IMAX theaters, domestically, representing the best-ever April opening weekend for a Disney-branded release on the big-screen format. The live-action film also generated approximately 43 percent of its domestic gross on 3D screens, RealD 3D accounting for an estimated $31 million of its weekend box office figures.
Disney is clearly on a roll, says IMAX president Greg Foster. “When you attach a film to something that works, the swirl keeps going,” he told TheWrap, citing “Jungle Book” trailers that ran ahead of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in theaters. “There’s no doubt Universal had it last year, and no doubt Disney has it this year,” he added.
Did you watch ‘The Jungle Book’ this weekend?
— meriah doty (@meriahonfiah) April 17, 2016