‘Jungle Book’ expected to swing past $70 million in box office debut

Disney’s new version of “The Jungle Book� is poised for a strong opening weekend at the box office, making it another likely success in the studio’s efforts to reimagine its classic animated tales as live-action blockbusters.

According to people who have seen prerelease audience surveys, “The Jungle Book� should gross more than $70 million in ticket sales from the U.S. and Canada through Sunday after its Thursday night debut. Some analysts think it may even pass $80 million in its initial weekend.

That would be a powerful start for the new movie, which is based both on Rudyard Kipling’s late-19th century collection of stories and Disney’s swinging animated musical from 1967.

The Burbank entertainment giant has found a robust business in modern fairy tale remakes, including hits like 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland� ($1 billion in global box office sales) and 2014’s “Maleficent� ($758 million). Last’s year’s “Cinderella� fetched nearly $68 million in its opening weekend, leading to more than $200 million total in the U.S. and Canada and an additional $341 million from other countries.

The new “Jungle Book� didn’t come cheap. Directed by “Iron Man’s� Jon Favreau, it cost an estimated $175 million to produce. It features the voices of Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba and Ben Kingsley as the animals of man-cub Mowgli’s world. The studio is projecting a more conservative opening of $65 million.

The film should benefit from overwhelmingly positive reviews and a lack of competition from other family films. Disney’s computer-animated “Zootopia� is entering its seventh week in release, having grossed more than $850 million so far globally.

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Watch the trailer for “The Jungle Book�

“The Jungle Book� should also perform well internationally. It’s expected to take in $75 million outside the U.S. and Canada this weekend as it opens in China, France, Germany and other markets. The film has already hauled in $29 million from foreign countries.

Warner Bros.’s comedy sequel “Barbershop: The Next Cut� also appears to be headed for a solid opening. Starring franchise stalwarts Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer, plus newcomers like rapper Nicki Minaj, the film is expected to do $25 million in ticket sales this weekend.

Comedy sequels are gambles for studios, especially since the last “Barbershop� came out 14 years ago. But “The Next Cut� has so far enjoyed largely favorable reviews from critics, indicated by an 88% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. MGM oversaw production on the film, which is getting distribution from Warner Bros.

Elsewhere at theaters, Lionsgate will unveil its new action-suspense movie “Criminal,� starring Kevin Costner as a CIA agent whose mind is implanted with the memories of a dead operative. Also featuring Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Gary Oldman, the picture is expected to bring in $7 million to $9 million.

And then there’s still the holdovers to contend with, including “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice� and last weekend’s victor, “The Boss� starring Melissa McCarthy. Universal Pictures’ “The Boss� narrowly unseated the Warner Bros. superhero epic last week with its $23.6-million opening.

Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for more entertainment business coverage: @rfaughnder