Disney’s The Jungle Book showed serious traction at the North American box office, dominating moviegoing for a second straight weekend with $60.8 million at 4,028 locations.
The family-friendly tentpole declined only 41 per cent from its opening frame and left Universal’s launch of The Huntsman: Winter’s War in the dust with $20 million at 3,791 locations.
The Jungle Book posted the best second weekend of 2016, topping the $56.5 million second frame for Deadpool, and will wind up the weekend with $191.5 million after 10 days – already the fourth-largest 2016 title behind Deadpool at $361 million, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at $319 million and Zootopia at $316.4 million.
Internationally, the results are equally impressive with an additional $96 million and a decline of only 32 per cent from the prior weekend for an international total of $337 million and global income to date of $528 million.
The Jungle Book proves that a four-quadrant PG-rated movie can have appeal to virtually every demographic
The Jungle Book is the highest-grossing Hollywood release in India with $28.8 million and is less than $3 million short of the $100 million mark in China.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War, starring Chris Hemsworth, Jessica Chastain and Charlize Theron, debuted at the low end of forecasts in North America with $20.1 million amid mostly downbeat reviews and a B+ CinemaScore. The audience was 61 per cent female and 53 per cent under 30.
The prequel to 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman carries a price tag of $115 million, so the studio will need a strong international performance to break even.
The sterling performance by The Jungle Book signals strong continued moviegoing in the upcoming weeks with Disney-Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War launching on May 6.
“You could not ask for a better lead in for the upcoming start of the summer movie season of 2016 than The Jungle Book,” Dergarabedian said.
“The Jungle Book proves that a four-quadrant PG-rated movie can have appeal to virtually every demographic and with the quality of moviemaking to back up the hype, the results have been staggering,” he added.