When it comes to box office totals, Disney is the absolute king. With properties such as Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar under their belt, it's almost impossible for The Mouse House not to make money in Hollywood. Just look at the jaw-dropping numbers for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "Zootopia" if you need any convincing.
This weekend, Disney's reign at the top is expected to continue as Jon Favreau's "The Jungle Book" arrives in theaters. But how much money should film fans expect the movie to make? Early estimates have the movie settling around $70 million domestic in its opening weekend.
Last weekend, the Melissa McCarthy-led comedy "The Boss" managed to knock "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" from the top spot at the box office. "The Boss" marked McCarthy's fifth-straight film to pull in at least $20 million in its opening weekend, further cementing the actress as a bona fide movie star. However, not even McCarthy's star power will be able to combat "The Jungle Book."
According to Variety, "The Jungle Book" is expected to post anywhere between $65 million and $75 million this weekend. That would be in step with Disney's other live-action remakes of late, "Cinderella" and "Maleficent," which both came in at just under $70 million in their opening frame. Both movies also went on to surpass $200 million at the domestic box office. That's one heck of a good precedent to set.
But is it possible that the industry insider are lowballing "The Jungle Book?"
"Zootopia" was expected to take in around $60 million in its opening weekend, but wound up with a whopping $75 million. With north of $852 million worldwide, "Zootopia" is now Disney's second-highest grossing animated feature behind only "Frozen." It's possible that "The Jungle Book" could over perform as well.
"Furious 7" currently holds the record for biggest opening weekend in April with $147 million. An initial run of $70 million would put "The Jungle Book" comfortably in the top five.
Disney is definitely expecting big results, as they are already negotiating with Favreau on a potential sequel. The studio also has four more live-action fairy tale pictures scheduled through 2019, with a slew of others in development. The success (or failure) of "The Jungle Book" will likely determine how committed Disney is to these properties over the coming years.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
