“The Jungle Book” Debuts With Third-Biggest Opening of 2016

By Kip Mooney • On • In News, Weekend Box Office Report News, Weekend Box Office Report 0

BOX OFFICE REPORT

April 15-17, 2016

(estimates from BoxOfficeMojo.com)

TOP 5

The Jungle Book $103.5 million
Barbershop: The Next Cut  $20.2 million
The Boss $10.1 million
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice  $9.0 million
Zootopia $8.2 million

Audiences were dying to open The Jungle Book. Disney’s live-action remake of its 1967 classic opened to an estimated $103.5 million. That’s the third biggest debut of 2016, behind Deadpool and Batman v Superman. Adored by critics and audiences alike (which is more than those other two can say), it’s likely to have major staying power, and will be part of Disney’s massive year (Zootopia’s already one of the biggest movies of the year, and don’t forget they’ve got Captain America: Civil War, Finding Dory and Rogue One still on the horizon.)

The last Barbershop movie (Back in Business) came out way back in 2004, but audiences were just as eager to spend time with their favorite stylists and neighbors. The Next Cut’s $20.2 million opening is right in line with the last two films. If it can become a sleeper hit as well, expect to more of these South Side staples.

The Boss dropped nearly 57 percent to second place. That’s worse than any of her other starring roles have slipped in their second weekend. Still, the film’s already in the black, since it cost only $29 million. That’s the opposite of Batman v Superman, which might go down as the only movie to make more than $300 million and still be considered a flop. It’s plummeted exponentially each week, and will wind up with much less than Deadpool, which is just astonishing considering Batman and Superman are two of the most iconic characters of all time. It’s still possible Dawn of Justice ends up with less than Zootopia, which is only a few million dollars behind and has held much better than that superhero showdown.

Outside the top 5:

  • This Weekend's Indie Champ: Green Room, Jeremy Saulnier’s vicious punks vs. neo-Nazis thriller. The bloody film has received great reviews from critics and it averaged $30,333 on only three screens.
  • Criminal had a downright criminal opening. The Kevin Costner thriller made only $5.8 million, good for sixth place.
  • Director John Carney must be singing. His latest, Sing Street, is a semi-autobiographical comedy about growing up in the ’80s. It averaged $13,796 on only five screens.

Next week: The Huntsman: Winter’s War will wage battle on The Jungle Book, but I don’t think it will quite get there. It should be No. 2 with around $40 million. The Jungle Book will stay on top with around $52 million.

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About Kip Mooney

Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.

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