Is Jungle Cruise going to get a sequel?
Disney’s Jungle Cruise was originally scheduled to premiere in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production had to be halted. Instead, Disney pushed back the film’s final premiere date to July 30, 2021. Initially, there were concerns that Disney’s latest theme park attraction-turned-movie would bomb at the box office. It didn’t help that critics had divided opinions of what to make of the film. However, it appears that we can now put such worries to rest. On its opening weekend, Jungle Cruise, which stars Johnson alongside Emily Blunt, blew past expectations. It drew in more than $30 million in ticket sales despite growing concerns over the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The film has been a huge hit among audiences as well, reaching a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is the highest of any film that Johnson has starred in.
Jumanji 87%Jumanji 2 87%Hobbs 88%Moana 89% JUNGLE CRUISE 94%!!!! 🙏🏾🍿 People have spoken! Thank you guys 🥃Enjoy #JungleCruise pic.twitter.com/zIbur8XgKo — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) July 31, 2021 Suffice to say, all of Johnson’s efforts to help market the film, even releasing the first four minutes of the movie for audiences to enjoy, have paid off. He recently made sure to celebrate all this success with a shirtless pic on his Instagram account. “For those of you who went, for those of you who watched it from your living rooms and created a big experience in your living room too, I want to thank you guys so much,” said Johnson in his video. He also goes on to remind everyone how much work the cast and crew put into making the film into reality after it started development way back in 2018. In total, Jungle Cruise earned $34 million in the domestic box office during its opening weekend. At the same time, the movie pulled in $30 million from Disney+ Premier Access. With nearly just as much money made via Disney+ Premier Access as in theaters, there was speculation that Johnson would join Scarlett Johansson in her lawsuit against Disney, over its decision to dual release some of its biggest movies, resulting in lower box office returns. However, while Johansson seems adamant about seeking legal respite, it appears that Johnson is a huge supporter of Disney’s strategy. Of course, this probably has something to do with Johnson already scheduled meet with Disney to discuss a potential sequel.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 1, 2021 With that said, things just can’t stop taking a turn for the better for the WWE superstar-turned-actor. Even if Johnson isn’t slated to appear in the next two Fast & Furious films, he is set to star in arguably an even more impactful movie. The DCEU’s Black Adam is scheduled to premiere in July 2022. If all goes well with Black Adam and his meeting with Disney, Johnson could be looking at a busy filming schedule for the better part of the next five years.
