Batman v Superman’s two-week run atop thebox officecame to an end last weekend as Universal’s new comedyThe Bossjust barely beat it with $23.5 million. Unfortunately forThe Boss, its reign looks to be quite short, with three newcomers hitting theaters this Friday, including Disney’s highly-anticipatedThe Jungle Book, Warner Bros.‘Barbershop: The Next Cutand Lionsgate’sCriminal. According to the predictions fromToddMThatcher.com,The Jungle Bookis looking to run away with a huge opening weekend win.
The Jungle Bookis eyeing a debut of $74.6 million, asBarbershop: The Next Cutdebuts in second with $23.1 million. BothThe Boss($13.5 million) andBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice($11.1 million) will likely drop to third and fourth place, respectively, withCriminalrounding out the top 5 with $9.3 million.The Jungle Bookhas a huge edge over its competitors in terms of theater count and critical acclaim.
The Jungle Bookcurrently sits at a 100% rating out of 28 reviews, whileCriminalis at 14% from just seven reviews. There aren’t enough reviews forBarbershop: The Next Cutto warrant a Tomatometer score quite yet, so we’ll have to wait and see how the critics respond to thiscomedy sequel.The Jungle Bookis slated to open in more than 3,700 theaters this weekend, withBarbershop: The Next Cutdebuting in more than 2,600 theaters andCriminalopening in approximately 2,500 theaters.
Directed byJon Favreau, based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film,The Jungle Bookis an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomerNeel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice ofIdris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat.
Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice ofBen Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice ofBill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice ofScarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice ofChristopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire.
Barbershop: The Next Cuttakes fans back to Calvin’s Barbershop in Chicago. As their surrounding community has taken a turn for the worse, the crew at Calvin’s Barbershop come together to bring some much needed change to their neighborhood.Ice Cube,Anthony Anderson, Sean Patrick Thomas,Cedric the Entertainer, Eve andTroy Garityreturn from the first two movies, withCommon,Nicki Minaj,Regina Hall, Deon Cole and Lamorne Morris joining the cast.
Criminalfollows a last-ditch effort to stop a diabolical plot, which leads to a dead CIA operative’s (Ryan Reynolds) memories, secrets, and skills being implanted into a death-row inmate (Kevin Costner) in hopes that he will complete the operative’s mission.Gal Gadot,Gary Oldman,Alice Eve,Michael Pitt,Tommy Lee Jones,Scott Adkins,Antje TraueandAmaury Nolascoround out the impressive ensemble cast.
The top 10 will be rounded out byZootopia($8.5 million),My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2($4.3 million),Hardcore Henry($3.1 million),Miracles from Heaven($2.6 million) and God’s Not Dead 2 ($2.1 million). Also opening in limited release is A24’s new thrillerGreen Room, The Weinstein Company’s musicalSing Street, Screen Media’s Rio, I Love You, Yash Raj’s Fan and Screen Media’sColonia. It isn’t known if any of these films will be expanding in the weeks and months to follow.
Looking forward to next weekend, Universal’sThe Huntsman: Winter’s Warand Bleecker Street’sElvis & Nixonare opening in wide release. Also opening in limited release are Roadside Attractions’A Hologram for the King, Sony Pictures Classics’ The Meddler, Drafthouse’s Men & Chicken, IFC’sTale of Tales, and Lionsgate’s Compadres. Take a look at the box office predictions below, and check back on Sunday for the official estimates.
