SUNDAY UPDATE: Disney is estimating $34.8 mil and $30 million from Premier Access. The latter number looks good, but that’s what we said about “Black Widow,” which made from Premier Access in its opening weekend. This cruise will need many more passengers, all booking state rooms and ordering Dom Perignon if they want to get near breaking even.Â
EARLIER I can’t I remember being on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland, but I know it’s popular. So why not make a movie about it?
I’ll tell you why not: no one’s going. The $200 million “Jungle Cruise” movie with The Rock and Emily Blunt is set to sink this weekend with just $32 million at the box office.
Now it is possible “Jungle Cruise” is massive hit on Disney’s Premiere Access for $30. Anything is possible. But it’s unlikely. And if The Rock’s deal is like Scarlett Johansson’s, he may be suing the Mouse House by the end of the week.
Some reviewers liked “Jungle Cruise” but not enough to get it above a 64 or so on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m sure the banter between Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt is fun, although it’s hard to imagine them having sexual chemistry or getting together at the end.
But Emily will never say a word. She’s too nice, and also, she’s made a mint with “A Quiet Place” and from it knows that silence is golden. Of course, she and husband John Krasinski are already suing Paramount over the short video window for “AQP2,” so who knows? Maybe courtrooms will take the place of red carpet premieres this fall.
Exhibitor Relations is predicting that “Jungle Cruise” will go the way of Warner’s “Space Jam 2” with Lebron James. That one started big with $30 mil, then pffed out to its current $57 mil. They should have used Sting’s “The Last Ship” as the song over the end credits because more trips on this boat seem unlikely.
