The Disney film, starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson, debuted slightly ahead of expectations despite concerns the Delta variant would keep families at home.
For a film that cost US$200 million to produce, its US$34 million domestic box office opening weekend would traditionally be a major disappointment. But the pandemic has upended the movie business, scrambling the rubric for success as the industry mounts a recovery.
Today, that haul seems almost respectable, though it does not mean “Jungle Cruise” will be profitable, at least not in its theatrical iteration. A film with that price tag would traditionally have to generate at least US$500 million globally to break even.
However, Disney hedged its bets and opened the film simultaneously on Disney+, the studio’s subscription streaming service, where it will be made available to subscribers for US$30. Disney yesterday reported that “Jungle Cruise” earned US$30 million globally on Disney+ Premier Access, which is half of what “Black Widow” made in surcharge revenue.
At the international box office, “Jungle Cruise” – based on a Disney theme park ride – brought in US$27.6 million from 47 territories, buoying its worldwide box office haul to US$61.8 million.
Some experts suggest the public health situation isn’t the sole reason for its performance. “The primary reason for the lukewarm launch is the film itself,” says David A Gross from Franchise Entertainment Research. “‘Jungle Cruise’ is a classic Hollywood action adventure, and today, that genre has lost its edge.”
Elsewhere on the box office charts
Universal’s “Old” and A24’s “The Green Knight” are locked in a close battle for second place.
Directed by M Night Shyamalan, the mind-bending thriller about a beach that makes you old fell 60% from its initial weekend of release, pulling in US$6.76 million. “Old” debuted last weekend to a leading US$16.5 million, pushing domestic ticket sales to US$30 million. Internationally, the film added US$7.5 million from 44 markets, bringing its global tally to US$48 million.
The medieval fantasy adventure “The Green Knight”, starring Dev Patel, arrived above expectations with US$6.78 million.
Also new this weekend, Focus Features’ well-reviewed drama “Stillwater” took the fifth spot with US$5.12 million. It stars Matt Damon as a father whose daughter is imprisoned for allegedly murdering her girlfriend while studying abroad, and is inspired by the story of Amanda Knox, an American who spent four years in an Italian prison before being exonerated.
Knox has criticised the movie, claiming the filmmakers and stars are profiting off her name and glamorising her wrongful murder conviction. She had no involvement in the film.
“Stillwater” ranked below “Black Widow”, which is currently in its fourth weekend in cinemas. The Marvel superhero adventure, headlined by Scarlett Johansson’s avenging Natasha Romanoff, brought in US$6.1 million. After about one month on the big screen, “Black Widow” has generated US$166 million, a decent haul for Covid times but by far the worst result for recent installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Johansson made headlines this week for suing Disney, alleging the studio’s decision to premiere the film on Disney+ on the same day as its theatrical debut was a breach of contract and cost her tens of millions of dollars.