Dwayne Johnson Thanks Fans For Jungle Cruise Box Office Success
Dwayne Johnson took to social media to thank fans for Jungle Cruise’s strong opening weekend at the box office: “Emily and I are so blown away.”
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In the wake of Jungle Cruise’s box-office success during its opening weekend, Dwayne Johnson has taken to social media to thank fans for their support. Having initially planned to release in 2019, Jungle Cruise was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was released last Friday simultaneously in theaters and via premier access on Disney+. Based on the classic Disneyland attraction, the film stars Johnson as boat captain Frank Wolff, who agrees to transport Emily Blunt’s Dr. Lily Haughton upriver in search of the magical tree of life.
After a strong turnaround from Thursday night previews, where it accrued $2.7 million, Jungle Cruise went on to earn over $90 million globally. The total accounts for $34.2 million at the domestic box office, $27.6 million overseas (where it competed with The Suicide Squad in several territories), and $30 million from Disney+. While the amount is certainly low for a marquee Disney release, during a time when theatre attendance is struggling significantly due to the pandemic, it’s a decent turnaround and far more than the estimated $20-30 million in domestic sales. It also beat out Cruella’s $21.3 million domestic box office sales from several months earlier by a significant margin.
Taking to his Instagram, Johnson shared an image from Us Weekly summarising Jungle Cruise’s opening weekend. Johnson added both his and Blunt’s gratitude to fans for the film’s success, writing: “Emily and I are so blown away by audiences’ enormous love for JUNGLE CRUISE.” The actor further extrapolated on the box-office metrics of the films, claiming that Jungle Cruise was “the only blockbuster of 2021 that did not see a double-digit box office drop from FRI-SAT, but instead our movie – because of YOU – saw an unprecedented surging 15%.” You can check out Johnson’s full statement below:
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Interestingly, Johnson’s addition that “it was important … to give [audiences] the option on how you want to see [Jungle Cruise]” seemingly furthers reports that Johnson was firmly behind Disney’s decision for a hybrid release of Jungle Cruise. Last week, Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney over a breach of contract pertaining to Black Widow’s hybrid release, with her contract reportedly specifying a solely theatrical release and a commission based on box-office revenue. Emma Stone is rumored to be considering a similar lawsuit over Cruella which, like Black Widow, saw a significant downturn in its second week at the box office, which may have been partially affected by its availability on Disney+. Eyes were on Jungle Cruise over its opening weekend to determine whether a similar lawsuit could be considered by Johnson and Blunt, despite the former reportedly stating he was wholly in favor of a hybrid release.
With the box-office revenue from Jungle Cruise’s opening weekend being as high as it is, it’s unlikely that such a lawsuit will be necessary. That said, it will be interesting to see how these reported profits compare with the second weekend and whether there will be another drop in revenue akin to Black Widow. Still, it’s good to see Johnson thanking fans for their support. Despite a mixed response from critics, audience reviews have been overwhelmingly positive about the film which is a good sign, especially when Disney are hoping to launch a franchise similar in tone to Pirates of the Caribbean. Decent box-office revenue coupled with strong fan engagement is paramount to this, so it seems more than likely we will see more Jungle Cruise films in the future.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/jungle-cruise-movie-box-office-dwayne-johnson-response/