Disney once again proved the value of its branded property as The Jungle Book [JNGLB] connected with a broad demographic and exceeded all box office expectations. Last year, Cinderella slipped 49% in its second weekend. With its talking CG animals and superior word of mouth, The Jungle Book should hold more like a Disney animated film. The Jungle Book could retain 55% of its opening for another $57 million.
While Disney has a vault of classics to remake, Universal has to make up a completely new story for The Huntsman: Winter’s War [SWHT2]. Snow White & The Huntsman opened to $56.2 million in June 2012, but Kristen Stewart was not invited back leaving Chris Hemsworth [CHEMS] to take center stage. A prequel was crafted to bring back the Evil Queen played by Charlize Theron [CTHER] and cast Emily Blunt [EBLUN] as an Ice Queen ripped off from Frozen. Although the first film enjoyed box office success, audiences weren’t clamoring for the backstory to a minor character in the original Grimm's fairy tale. Poor reviews will keep away even those who turned out for the first film. The Huntsman: Winter’s War may raise $26 million from 3788 theaters.
Barbershop 3: The Next Cut [BSHO3] fell short of its two predecessors. The original Barbershop snipped 38% in its second weekend, while the sequel Back in Business trimmed 40%. Barbershop 3: The Next Cut may slice 45% to $11 million.
A trio of films opens in moderate release of around 400 theaters. Tom Hanks [THANK] toplines A Hologram for the King [HGFTK] as an American in Saudi Arabia. Michael Shannon [MISHA] and Kevin Spacey [KSPAC] play Elvis & Nixon [ELVNX], respectively. Compadres [CMPDR] targets Hispanic moviegoers. None are likely to break $2 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): JNGLB, SWHT2, CHEMS, CTHER, EBLUN, BSHO3, THANK, HGFTK, MISHA, KSPAC, ELVNX, CMPDR