New Movies April 22: The Huntsman Goes After The Jungle Book
by EG
Only one big new wide release is going to take its chances at the box office this weekend, and although it is expected to perform respectably, it has little chance of catching up to last week's top movie. Even if The Jungle Book drops off considerably from its big opening weekend, the CGI animals should easily best the newcomer.
That newcomer is The Hunstman: Winter's War, a sequel to 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman. This time around, the story pairs Chris Hemsworth with Jessica Chastain rather than Kristen Stewart, and Emily Blunt stars as the magical Ice Queen, sister to Charlize Theron's Queen Ravenna. The original film, with its cast of dwarves, recalled The Lord of the Rings, and this time Frozen is thrown into the mix. Critics have not been impressed, giving the film a 15% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Huntsman will probably finish the weekend with a gross of between $20 and $30 million, but even a take at the high end of that range is unlikely to approach The Jungle Book, which will take in $40 to $50 million even if it falls off by 50% or more.
Behind these two movies, it's all hold-overs looking to pick up the scraps. Last week's Barbershop: The Next Cut will be looking for its share, as will The Boss.