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Summer event movie Jungle cruise – inspired by Disneyland’s iconic merry-go-round – opens in theaters around the world this weekend amid growing concerns about the COVID-19 delta variant.
Jungle cruise, with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, is expected to open between $ 25 million and $ 30 million domestically and over $ 40 million overseas. Jaume Collet-Serra led the family adventure, which hopes to launch a new franchise, much like the first Pirates of the Caribbean do.
Before the pandemic, a nationwide opening of over $ 50 million would have been seen as a fitting start for a Disney event title featuring one of the world’s most popular stars. However, a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in many places around the world has slowed the box office recovery.
Another major mitigating factor: Jungle cruise is made available at home through Disney + Premier Access for an additional $ 30. Disney insiders say the hybrid exit strategy provides a safety net in times of uncertainty, as some consumers still aren’t comfortable returning to the movies.
The company is expected to announce Disney + opening weekend revenue when reporting Sunday box office gross, similar to its approach with Black Widow earlier this month. (Black Widow raised $ 60 million in revenue from Disney + Premier Access in its early days.)
In the United States, Los Angeles and other parts of California are among various hot spots across the country that are seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases due in large part to the delta variant.
On July 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that even those who are fully vaccinated wear a mask when attending indoor public events, including movie theaters, in venues with increased cases. This was followed on Wednesday by a similar recommendation from the California Department of Public Health. Days earlier, LA County had already reinstated an indoor mask mandate for all citizens.
The box office resumption was always expected to be a fragile and slow process. Delta poses other challenges although, as of yet, no one in Hollywood knows to what extent.
Jungle cruise isn’t the only high-profile film to be released this weekend in North America.
Focus Features and Participant launch Tom McCarthy’s Still water, starring Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin, in around 2,000 theaters, while A24 will launch David Lowery’s critically acclaimed Arthurian-era fantasy The green knight, with Dev Patel, in approximately 2,500 locations.
The two specialty films are expected to open at single digits.
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