Box Office: ‘The Jungle Book’ is Doing Just Fine, Thank You

Nick Nunziata
Movies
Movies

There are times that the good guys win and this is one of them. The Jungle Book is a great piece of entertainment that had no right being as solid as it is. Audiences have spoken with their dollars. Jon Favreau’s Disney hit pulled in $42,439,000 this weekend, crushing all in its path and sending all three newcomers mewling into their respective corners. Keanu, Mother’s Day, and especially Ratchet & Clank tried to keep up with Mowgli but they missed their vine and were devoured by jackals. The Huntsman: Winter’s War feebly hung onto to second place by a tiny amount but that hunt is over.

Next week sees the Summer Movie Season arrive with a big bang and the clashing of vibranium as Captain America and Iron Man squabble on the largest scale possible. Everything changes Friday.

A few tidbits from the numbers:

  • The Jungle Book had the highest per screen average of all the major releases, which is quite astonishing for a film that has been around for three weeks.
  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is winding down but that hasn’t stopped everyone from speculating about directors for the upcoming DC adaptations jumping ship. This is what the spin cycle looks like, folks. It’s still a huge box office monster, so let’s not lose sight of what it is.
  • Gods of Egypt coerced another $58,000 from unsuspecting audiences. The Jungle Book better watch its back.
keanu_kitten

The Numbers Game

I’ve added a little fun to the box office report. A little guessing game. Let’s see how close we can get to guessing the correct box-office numbers for the movies opening next week.

Last Week:

Keanu
My Guess: $12,000,000
Actual: $9,350,000
Result: Time will be kind to Keanu. Right now, not so much.

Mother’s Day
My Guess: $16,000,000
Actual: $8,302,319
Result: Maybe this is the end of these movies.

Ratchet & Clank
My Guess: $11,000,000
Actual: $4,823,000
Result: We know where the family dollar was spent. Hint: Talking Panthers.

 

This week:

Captain America: Civil War

civil war tony cap feature

This is not only a great movie (see my review below) but it’s also one everyone has to see. It ties the entire Marvel Universe together and lays the groundwork for the next onslaught of upper tier Marvel Studios movies. It also seems to have added vitality to the possibility of stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans hanging around a while longer. It’s been so well marketed and has built up such positive buzz that the tracking numbers that range from $175,000,000 to $190,000,000 seem possibly conservative. We’ll find out a week from today.

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My guess: $200,000,000

See you next week!

Source: Box Office Mojo

Nick Nunziata
Nick Nunziata created CHUD.com.