The Disney machine returns to churn out another live-action adaptation of their classic animated musical. The Jungle Book [JNGLB] brings Baloo and company to life with state of the art CG animation under the direction of John Favreau [JFAVR]. Last year, Cinderella opened with $67.8 million, while Maleficent opened with $69.4 million the year before. Although The Jungle Book lacks a recognizable star, it boasts an all-star voice cast akin to an animated film like Zootopia, which odebuted to $75.0 million. Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, though no advance ticket sales volume has been reported. Playing in 4028 theaters, The Jungle Book may flip through $74 million.
Barbershop 3: The Next Cut [BSHO3] arrives 12 years after the previous Barbershop: Back in Business opened with $22.2 million. The first Barbershop debuted at $20.6 million two years earlier. Ice Cube [ICUBE] remains hot coming off the biopic Straight Outta Compton and Ride Along 2, the last film targeted at urban audiences. The PG-13 rated sequel has added more star-power with Common [COMMN] and Nikki Minaj [NMINA], while examining topical issues about Black Lives. Barbershop 3: The Next Cut looks to trim $24 million from 2661 locations.
The Boss [MDARN] connected with the fanbase, but is unlikelt to broaden the audience with mixed word of mouth. Tammy slid 42% in its second weekend, though that was during the summer season. The Boss may fall closer to 50% to around $12 million.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice [SUPE2] continues to decay rapidly, and should net another $11.5 million during its fourth weekend.
Kevin Costner [KCOST] stars as a Criminal [CRIMN] who gets a memory implant from a dead agent, played by Ryan Reynolds [RREYN]. The R-rated actioner has a similar story to Reynolds’ Self/Less, which opened to $5.4 million last July. Costner’s last actioner, the PG-13 rated Three Days to Kill, debuted at $12.2 million in 2014. There’s much less buzz on the Lionsgate release. Breaking into 2683 theaters, Criminal may walk away with $7.5 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): JNGLB, JFAVR, BSHO3, ICUBE, COMMN, NMINA, MDARN, SUPE2, KCOST, CRIMN, RREYN