Posted in: Disney, Movies | Tagged: disney, jungle cruise, jungle cruise 2, movies

Jungle Cruise 2 Has Been Greenlit With Original Stars Returning

It seems that another major Disney hybrid release did well enough to merit a sequel. Jungle Cruise probably would have been a bigger hit for Disney in the pre-pandemic days, but this is the reality that we live in. The movie currently sits at $187 million at the worldwide box office and $100 million at the domestic about a month after the movie came out. In 2019, those numbers would have meant that someone was getting fired, but combined with the unknown numbers at the Premier Access level, Disney must be happy with it. Or they think the franchise has the potential to take the loss on the first one with the hopes that the sequel will do better down the road. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jungle Cruise 2 is indeed happening, and original stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt and co-writer Michael Green are also set to return. The report also says that it seems likely that director Jaume Collet-Serra will also return along with the production team. No world on any other members of the supporting cast yet.

Jungle Cruise is being judged on a different metric compared to other movies. It wasn't just the box office or premier access numbers that Disney was looking at, but also the weekly drop-offs, which remained rather steady, meaning word of mouth was doing its job. The movie garnered an audience rating of A- which is extremely solid, and the audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes put it at 92% [the critical reviews aren't as good, 63%, but that's not bad]. Much like Cruella earlier this year, Disney seems to be taking the circumstances into account when it comes to giving pandemic releases sequels which is a good thing. There really isn't a baseline for what is or isn't a success. A movie that was budgeted for what the box office looked like in 2019 can't really be judged against a movie that ended up getting released in 2020 or 2021. Between the audience and critical response, even if Jungle Cruise did end up losing money, it seems that Disney is willing to take that loss for another potential franchise. We'll have to see how Jungle Cruise 2 ends up panning out.

Inspired by the famous Disneyland theme park ride, Disney's "Jungle Cruise" is an adventure-filled, rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank's questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate—and mankind's—hangs in the balance.

Jaume Collet-Serra directs the film, which stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramírez, and Jack Whitehall, with Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti. The producers are John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment; Dwayne Johnson, Hiram Garcia and Dany Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions; and Beau Flynn of Flynn Picture Co., with  Scott Sheldon and Doug Merrifield serving as executive producers. The story is by John Norville & Josh Goldstein and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, and the screenplay is by Michael Green and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa. Disney's "Jungle Cruise" was released in U.S. theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 30, 2021.

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