Movie results are good, Box Office, Disney + Opening – The Hollywood Reporter

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Disney’s Jungle Cruise took off to a better-than-expected $34.2 million opening at the domestic box office amid renewed concerns about COVID-19 and the delta variant of its $61.8 million worldwide box office debut. In North America, it beat Space Jam: A New Legacy to score the first pandemic-era opening for a family movie.

The film’s global debut grosses $91.8 million when including $30 million in revenue from Disney + Premier Access. Abroad – where a number of countries are also seeing a rise in coronavirus cases – it earned a lukewarm $27.6 million from 47 markets.

Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, has been tracking the opening in the $25 million to $30 million range domestically. Jaume Collet-Serra has brought out the $200 million tent pole based on the popular Disneyland ride that he hopes to launch a new franchise, as did the first Pirates of the Caribbean.

Jungle Cruise is shown in 4,310 theaters in North America, where moviegoers are still far from reaching pre-pandemic levels. For example, weekend returns are down nearly 50% from the same frame in 2019.

In some major overseas markets, Jungle Cruise is up against James Gan’s The Suicide Squad, which is opening in five countries a week before its domestic launch. Suicide Squad took home $7 million, led by the UK, beating Jungle Cruise for $4.7 million. Jungle Cruise, which earned $3.7 million in the UK, beat Suicide Squad in France with $1.7 million for $1.6 million.

In pre-pandemic times, the $34.2 million domestic opening is a turbulent start for a title Disney event featuring one of the world’s most famous stars. Jungle Cruise can also count on Disney + Premier Access revenue. The family-friendly adventure was made available at the same time at home via Premier Access for $30 due to ongoing concerns about COVID-19. Sources say a lot of Premier Access’s money comes from North America.

“Jungle Cruise is the perfect summer adventure movie, bringing the beloved theme park to both the big screen and living rooms in a way that only Disney can. We continue our focus on offering consumer choices during these unprecedented times, and it’s clear that fans and families appreciate the ability to take decisions about how they would like to enjoy Disney’s best-in-class storytelling.”

IMAX and other large format screens made up a whopping 25 percent of the action-adventure box office.

Many box office critics believe such a release by day and date threatens the theatrical show’s future and encourages eager moviegoers to stay home. And theater owners aren’t happy with Disney’s decision to release the Premier Access numbers in a move to boost the film’s opening weekend performance.

Actress Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit last week alleging that the Walt Disney Company breached her contract when she decided to do the same type of stage show for Black Widow. Prosecutors say that making the Marvel superhero title available at home resulted in lower box office sales, which in turn hurt its compensation.

Disney responded saying that Johansson received $20 million in compensation and that it would eventually have benefited from Disney+ revenue. The company declared that its claim showed “a blatant disregard for the horrific and protracted global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Disney said earlier this month that Black Widow earned $60 million on Disney+ during its opening weekend, but it didn’t provide any updated numbers (at the box office, it debuted to $80 million domestically and $158 million globally).

Johnson has publicly endorsed a hybrid version of the Jungle Cruise, saying it’s the best way to provide the consumer with choice.

Elsewhere, new A24 fantasy film The Green Knight also beat expectations with $6.78 million from 2,790 theaters, which is good enough to tie it to second place M. Directed by David Lowry, the critically acclaimed Dev Patel film.

Matt Damon starrer Stillwater, directed by Tom McCarthy, appeared at number five with $5.1 million from 2,531 sites. The film, which is about an Oklahoma oil worker who travels to Europe to help his daughter (Abigail Breslin) after she is accused of murder, has done huge stunts in the heart of America, including Oklahoma. Focus Features and Participant was recently shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Universal and M. Night Shymalan’s Old stock fell 60 percent in its second weekend, ending Sunday with $30.6 million domestic and $48.6 million globally.

Black Widow approached $350 million at the global box office, including $167.1 million domestically and $176.5 million overseas. It ranked fourth in North America with $6.4 million.

Steelwater closed the top five, followed by Warner Space Jam 2 ($4.3 million). Part Two ended Sunday with a total of $118.6 million. All 2021 releases from the studio are open on day and date on HBO Max and in cinemas.

Paramount’s GI Joe Origins pic Snake Eyes, starring Henry Golding, dropped 70 percent in its second round to $4 million with a domestic gross of $22.3 million and $28.8 million worldwide.

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