LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Despite growing concerns over the delta variant, 鈥淛ungle Cruise鈥� still drew moviegoers out to theaters during the film鈥檚 opening weekend to sail atop the North American box office.
The Disney film starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt exceeded expectations by pulling in more than $34.1 million over the weekend. The adventure movie was estimated to open with around $25 million to $30 million domestically, but it outpaced those numbers despite the surge in the coronavirus cases.
Globally, 鈥淛ungle Cruise鈥� brought in a total of $90 million, including $27.6 million in the international box office and more than $30 million from Disney Plus.
鈥淚n this pandemic-challenged market place, it overperformed,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 鈥淚t didn't really seem like the streaming component hurt the box office in any significant way. The movie theater is still showing its resilience and appeal to moviegoers despite the fact that there's so much news everyday, most of it not moving in the right direction, in terms of the pandemic.鈥�
鈥淛ungle Cruise鈥� also earned five times more than 鈥淭he Green Knight,鈥� which came in at No. 2 with $6.78 million. The A24 film starring Dev Patel barely edged M. Night Shyamalan鈥檚 鈥淥ld,鈥� which had $6.76 million after scoring the top spot last weekend.
鈥淏lack Widow鈥� placed fourth after a past week of turmoil between Disney and the film鈥檚 lead, Scarlett Johansson. The actor sued the studio over the film鈥檚 streaming release, which she said breached her contract and deprived her of potential earnings.
Disney responded to Johansson鈥檚 claim saying she received $20 million in compensation and that she benefited from Disney Plus鈥� revenue.
Matt Damon鈥檚 鈥淪tillwater鈥� opened at No. 5 with $5.1 million but faced criticism as well. The drama film was blasted by Amanda Knox, who spoke out last week about her name being associated with the new movie, saying any connection rips off her story without her consent at the 鈥渆xpense of my reputation.鈥�
Knox called out the film鈥檚 director Tom McCarthy in a series of tweets for using her name to promote the movie.
鈥淪pace Jam: A New Legacy鈥� has progressively dropped to No. 6 after going No. 1 two weeks ago. 鈥淪nake Eyes鈥� fell to seventh after the film starring Henry Golding as the warrior-in-training debuted No. 2 last week.
鈥淔9: The Fast Saga鈥� placed eighth at the box office. The film pulled in $2.6 million and totaled more than $168 million domestically after six weeks.
鈥淓scape Room: Tournament of Champions鈥� and 鈥淭he Boss Baby: Family Business鈥� rounded out the top 10.
Dergarabedian wondered how the news on coronavirus cases would affect moviegoers' decision to watch films at theaters. He thinks the appeal of the film like 鈥淪uicide Squad鈥� 鈥� opening domestically on Aug. 6 in theaters and streamed on HBO Max 鈥� will play a role whether they go or not.
鈥淚f people feel comfortable and safe, and adhere to the protocols, I think we could see a good number on that movie, even though its available at home,鈥� Dergarabedian said. 鈥淭his market is being driven by the product.鈥�
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淛ungle Cruise," $34.1 million.
2. 鈥淭he Green Knight," $6.78
3. 鈥淥ld,鈥� $6.76 million.
4. 鈥淏lack Widow,鈥� $6.4 million.
5. 鈥淪tillwater,鈥� $5.1 million.
6. 鈥淪pace Jam: A New Legacy,鈥� $4.2 million.
7. 鈥淪nake Eyes,鈥� $4 million.
8. 鈥淔9: The Fast Saga," $2.6 million.
9. "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions,鈥� $2.2 million.
10. 鈥淭he Boss Baby: Family Business,鈥� $1.3 million.
Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press
