‘Jungle Book’ continues box office lead over ‘Keanu’ and ‘Mother’s Day’

For the third straight week, Disney’s “The Jungle Book” bested both newcomers and holdovers at the box office, continuing a hot streak for the Burbank entertainment giant.

The studio’s retelling of the classic Rudyard Kipling story pulled in an estimated $42.4 million in the U.S. and Canada, beating analyst expectations of $30 million to $35 million. This brings the $175-million live-action and computer-generated production, directed by Jon Favreau, to $252.1 million domestically and $684.8 million worldwide.

Disney is enjoying a strong run at the box office — one that is expected to continue next week as its latest Marvel Studios picture “Captain America: Civil War” hits American theaters. The company’s other 2016 blockbuster, “Zootopia,” which sits in the No. 6 spot in its ninth domestic week, has grossed nearly $932 million globally so far.

Analysts say both “Zootopia” and “The Jungle Book” have a shot at reaching the coveted $1-billion mark.

“The Jungle Book” had little competition, considering the types of other films at the cineplex. Though Universal’s “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” was expected to be a major blockbuster, following last week’s less-than-stellar debut, the part-prequel, part-spinoff took in $9.4 million this week. Good enough for second place, the $115-million picture has grossed $34 million domestically and $131 million worldwide.

As for new releases, Warner Bros.’ “Keanu,” Open Road’s “Mother’s Day” and Focus Features’ “Ratchet and Clank” debuted this week.

“Keanu,” starring comic duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele from Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele,” barely missed the second-place spot, also pulling in an estimated $9.4 million. Though analysts projected a gross of up to $15 million, the studio’s expectations were more modest, at about $10 million.

Key and Peele play friends trying to save a stolen kitten in the R-rated action comedy. Peele teamed with “Key & Peele” collaborator Alex Rubens to write the screenplay, which is also directed by the show’s Peter Atencio.

Audiences and critics appear relatively pleased with “Keanu.” Moviegoers gave it a B grade, according to polling firm CinemaScore, while a solid 75% of Rotten Tomatoes critics rated the film positively.

The feature, in partnership with New Line, cost $15 million to make.

The romantic comedy “Mother’s Day” landed in fourth with $8.3 million, about $2 million less than analyst predictions. Banking on a primarily female audience, the film has an all-star cast including Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Jason Sudeikis, Kate Hudson and comedian and talk show host Loni Love.

Directed by Garry Marshall, the picture drew very different responses from audiences and critics. The movie earned a B-plus CinemaScore despite a horrific 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In fifth place was Warner Bros.’ “Barbershop: The Next Cut.” The Ice Cube led comedy pulled in another $6.1 million for a domestic gross to date of $44.7 million in its third week.

Pulling up the rear of new releases was “Ratchet and Clank.” The animated big-screen version of a popular Sony PlayStation game hauled in an estimated $4.8 million, well below analysts’ highest expectations of $10 million.

Though audiences gave the cartoon a B CinemaScore, only 19% of Rotten Tomatoes critics liked the film.

As previously mentioned, next week seemingly belongs to “Captain America: Civil War.” With no other major releases, and an already impressive $200.2 million from international markets, the Marvel picture will surely dethrone “Jungle Book.”

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