Favreau’s ‘The Jungle Book’ Is Killin’ It At The Box Office

Who knew that a tale about a boy raised by wolves (what a cliché) embarking on a grand adventure through a jungle would be such a hit. Well, according to the 94 percent score it has on Rotten Tomatoes — and the A it scored with moviegoers on Cinemascope — it is.

‘Jungle Book’ roars with $61 million in a dominant second weekend at the box office https://t.co/Zzn7hglDlY pic.twitter.com/Oz3W2xufrN

— Mashable (@mashable) April 24, 2016

Taking its second win at the box office this week, The Jungle Book absolutely murdered The Huntsman: Winter’s War. The Jungle Book opened on Friday, April 15, and raked in approximately $103 million through its weekend showing. For a film with a budget of $175 million, grossing nearly all of the budget in a weekend bodes well. Seemingly, Walt Disney Pictures knew that the Disney classic would do well. And “do well” it did: at this current moment in its run, the film is the fourth-highest earning movie of 2016, and Disney’s second blockbuster hit after Zootopia. To put that in perspective, “globally, [The Jungle Book] and Zootopia have banked $528.5 million and $907.1 million to date, respectively,” USA Today reports. This would mean that Jungle has not only passed its budget, but demolished it in flying colors by a whole $350 million. That’s impressive.

Alternatively, The Huntsman: Winter’s War seems to have been caught in an early winter. (I know. Bad joke, sorry.) With a budget of $115 million, the film only grossed $20.1 million in its opening week and has made a total of $100.3 million at the box office currently. Although it scored a B- with moviegoers on Cinemascore —which is a good score, mind you — it holds a 17 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing. (Sadly, I imagine that will only go down.) Perhaps it was the lack of Kristen Stewart’s classic choked-up, stiffened acting. Or maybe it was the missing enchanted hammer, Mjolnir, in Chris Hemsworth’s hand. (You know what, it could just be the lackluster script.) Whatever the case, things don’t bode too well for the film. While its only a mere $15 million shy from breaking even, it has a lot of competition coming up — it seems The Huntsman: Winter’s War is about to be hunted. (I know. Another bad joke, sorry.)

The Huntsman: Winter’s War no match for The Jungle Book at the weekend box office https://t.co/JjBtkU1VeS pic.twitter.com/gOeV5WuLds

— IGN (@IGN) April 24, 2016

Some other films also had a run at the box office, as reported by ComingSoon:

Malcolm D. Lee’s Barbershop: The Next Cut (produced by New Line Cinema) barely broke even, grossing $36 million out of its $20 million budget. It currently holds a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ben Falcone’s The Boss (produced by Gary Sanchez Productions) doubled its $29 million budget, grossing $57.7 million to date. It currently holds a 19 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ariel Vromen’s Criminal (produced by Campbell-Grobman Films and Millennium Films) missed the $31.5 million mark, only grossing $13.3 million to date. It currently holds a 29 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Kirk Jones’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (produced by Gold Circle Films and HBO Films) passed its $18 million budget, grossing $82 million to date. It currently holds a 28 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Enrique Benge’s Compadres (produced by Draco Films) didn’t quite make its $3 million mark, only grossing $1.35 million to date. It currently holds a 40 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Tom Tykwer’s A Hologram For The King (produced by Playtone) only grossed $1.2 million to date—I suppose it didn’t cost that much to make, as there is no word on a production budget at the time of this writing. It currently holds a 63 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Liza Johnson’s Elvin & Nixon (produced by Autumn Productions, Inc.) grossed a measly $457,000 to date—much like A Hologram For A King, there is no word on a production budget at the time of this writing. It currently holds a 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Lastly, Don Cheadle’s Miles Ahead (produced by IM Global Films) grossed $1.4 million to date—again, like A Hologram For A King and Elvis & Nixon, there is no word on a production budget at the time of this writing. It currently holds a 71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jon Favreau seems to have directed and produced a fantastic film. I wonder how it will do against Anthony and Joe Russo’s Captain America: Civil War (produced by Marvel Studios), releasing worldwide on May 6.

[Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images]