‘Jungle Cruise’ sails atop box office despite COVID concerns

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorIn a key sequence in Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” Emily Blunt’s Lily Houghton and Dwayne Johnson’s skipper Frank have to dive off their boat to solve an underwater puzzle. Not only does Lily get trapped, but she ends up fighting for air as the drama unfolds.Underwater director of photography Ian Seabrook stepped in to film Lily and skipper Frank as they seek the Tears of the Moon from a rare tree.The sequence, Seabrook says, took just under two weeks to film.

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Hulu, there are plenty of new films to enjoy, and no shortage of options on when and where to watch them.  This list includes the most exciting new releases available to see in theaters or stream from the comfort of your couch, with movies starring A-list actors such as Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Chris Pratt, Emily Blunt, Emma Stone, Tom Holland, Idris Elba, Margot Robbie and more.

EXCLUSIVE: Following a highly competitive auction, Amazon Studios has acquired a star vehicle that will have Emily Blunt playing Kate Warne, the first woman to become a detective at the Pinkerton Agency. Scripting is Gustin Nash, whose credits include Youth in Revolt and Charlie Bartlett.

EXCLUSIVE: Samba TV has updated the running U.S. viewership on Disney+ Premier’s Dwayne Johnson-Emily Blunt adventure film Jungle Cruise and it’s 1.5M U.S. households through the pic’s first ten-days.

EXCLUSIVE: Disney’s Dwayne Johnson-Emily Blunt family adventure movie Jungle Cruise was watched by 777,000 U.S. Households in its first weekend on Disney+ Premier according to streaming analytics corp Samba TV. At a price of $29.99 that translates to an estimated $23.3M amount of revenue earned for Jungle Cruise in Samba monitored TV households.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThe original Jungle Cruise boat ride first opened in July 1955 at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. and has been amusing visitors ever since.Over the years, the river has changed with the addition of an elephant bathing pool, gorillas and a new piranha scene.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterPrior to the pandemic, assessing the financial success or failure of a film was relatively simple and finite.For a big-budgeted movie, the volume of ticket sales collected in its first three days in movie theaters gave a good indication of whether or not it would be profitable.

Refresh for latest…: In its global launch, Disney’s Jungle Cruise grossed $61.8M at worldwide turnstiles. That does not include the “over $30M” that came from Disney+ in the day-and-date streaming release (which leads to $91.8M as Anthony has reported). In pure theatrical terms, the Dwayne Johnson/Emily Blunt-starrer performed ahead of expectations domestically, and came in vastly lower at the international box office compared to pre-weekend estimates.

Jungle Cruise is big at the box office!

The adventure film starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt also opened in 27 markets this weekend, grossing $27.6 million to bring its global box office opening to $61.8 million. When Disney+ numbers are included, the total rises to just over $92 million.

The Disneyland-inspired adventure film grossed $13.3 million on Friday, ahead of the $7.7 million opening day of “Cruella” back in May. The full financial outlook of the film isn’t clear yet as “Jungle Cruise” is also being released as a $30 premium paid streaming title on Disney+, but the film has won over Johnson’s fans and family audiences with an A- on CinemaScore and a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes to go with a 62% critics score.

Ellise Shafer administratorAll aboard the “Jungle Cruise” — the Disney film, starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson, is riding to an estimated $32 million opening weekend at the domestic box office.“Jungle Cruise,” based on the famed Disney theme park ride, took in $13.378 million from 4,310 theaters on Friday.

Jungle Cruise isn’t, at least as of this writing, the same kind of battleground in Hollywood as Black Widow, whose financial returns prompted star Scarlett Johansson to sue Disney.

“Jungle Cruise,” Disney’s adventure film starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, earned $2.7 million at the box office in Thursday night previews that began at 6 p.m. It opens on over 4,310 screens this weekend.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Jungle Cruise” sailed into port with $2.7 million after opening in Thursday evening previews.The Disney film is armed with substantial star power in the form of Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, but it also faces fierce headwinds given that the public health situation is worsening as the highly contagious Delta variant appears to be making moviegoers skittish about returning to theaters.

Refresh for updates…Disney is reporting $2.7M for its Dwayne Johnson-Emily Blunt family adventure movie Jungle Cruise off 7PM shows. A24’s Dev Patel fantasy movie Green Knight came up strong with $750K at 2,790 theaters.

So can The Rock give the box office a list coming off of a weak weekend? The current projections from trackers say not so much. “Jungle Cruise” is currently projected to earn a $25 million opening this weekend, on par with the $26.5 million four-day start for “Cruella” on Memorial Day weekend.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterDisney’s “Jungle Cruise” will easily sail to the top of box office charts when it opens in movie theaters on Friday.The family-friendly fantasy adventure, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, is expected to generate at least $25 million from 4,200 North American locations over the weekend, with some estimates projecting an opening north of $30 million.