Weekend Box Office: The Jungle Remains King
by EG
Disney's The Jungle Book had no problem holding on to the top box-office spot this weekend, as the remake of the 1967 animated original dropped only about 40% from its big opening weekend. The film's total gross for the weekend is estimated to be about $61 million, a total that's about three times as much as that of its closest competitor.
That closest competitor is The Huntsman: Winter's War, a sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman. This one didn't have Snow White in it, and even though it did have Emily Blunt as the Ice Queen, a la Frozen, it still only took in about a third as much as its predecessor did in its own opening weekend. The sequel earned an estimated $20 million, making it almost certain that the film, which had a reported production budget of $115 million, will be the first major bomb of 2016.
There were no other new wide releases this week, leaving room for hold-over Barbershop: The Next Cut to secure third place with $10.8 million. Fellow hold-over Zootopia took fourth place with $6.6 million, and Melissa McCarthy's The Boss was next with $6 million. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice fell out of the top five for the first time since its release five weeks ago.