Jungle Cruise

Source: Disney

Jungle Cruise

A better-than-expected North American debut saw Disney’s Jungle Cruise arrive at number one on an estimated $34.2m from 4,310 cinemas as the studio said the action adventure starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt earned more than $30m globally on Disney+ Premier Access.

The result was decent considering the steady news flow about the spread of the delta variant across parts of the United States and widespread hesitancy over returning en masse to cinemas.

However the louder story will be day-and-date releases and, in light of Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit over Disney’s hybrid release of Black Widow, the ongoing debate in Hollywood over how much potential box office revenue will be lost to streaming – in this case on Disney’s latest tentpole release.

Next week will bring further clarity to the situation when Jungle Cruise’s second weekend percentage drop in box office is calculated.

A24’s The Green Knight from David Lowery and starring Dev Patel debuted in second place on $6.78m from 2,790. Last weekend’s champion, Universal’s M Night Shyamalan horror Old, fell two slots to number three and dropped 59.9% to $6.76m for $30.6m after two sessions.

Paramount’s Snake Eyes tumbled 70.1% in its second session to rank seventh, earning $4m for $22.3m.

Black Widow fell 44.7% in its fourth weekend on $6.4m for $167.1m after four weekends. Disney reduced the cinema count by 890 to 3,360 and the Marvel Studios superhero spin-off ranks fourth.

Focus Features opened its Cannes out of competition selection Stillwater in fifth place on $5.1m from 2,531 cinemas. Tom McCarthy directed Matt Damon as a US oilrig worker who travels to France to help his daughter after she is accused of murder. Abigail Breslin also stars.

Warner Bros’ Space Jam: A New Legacy dropped two places to number six on $4.3m for $60.7m after a 55.5% drop in its third session.