It seems Sony Pictures' "Jumanji: Welcome To the Jungle" remains a dominant force at box offices. According to Deadline, the sequel of the 1995 classic Film "Jumanji" has surpassed $701.7 million worldwide.
Welcome to the bank
According to the data, the film Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan made history by becoming the sixth highest grossing film domestically--estimated at $293 million. This puts it behind Skyfall and four of the "Spider-Man" films (1-3 and Homecoming).
Internationally, the film grossed $408 million and has already overshadowed the "Justice League" film; it was released two months prior and grossed $427.6 million internationally.
Comparisons to the original film
"Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle" is an action-adventure comedy film produced by Matt Tolmach and William Teitler, and directed by Jake Kasdan. The film is a sequel to the 1995 classic film Jumanji that introduces a video gaming twist to the narrative.
The sequel takes place twenty-one years after the events of the original film and continues the magical hijinks of the board game, "Jumanji." However, the cursed board game has evolved into a video game that drags the new cast--four teens--into its virtual jungle where they are forced to play the roles of their desired/undesired characters in the form of said film stars.
The original film is based on the classic 1981 children's picture book, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg.
It starred the late Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde and Bebe Neuwirth, but was critically panned. Despite this, however, the film had grossed $262.8 million worldwide and had inspired an animated series and several video games due to its success.
The sequel's success surpasses it's predecessor and is a far cry from the expectations of critics, analysts, and fans of the franchise.
The sequel no one knew they wanted
In 2015, Sony Pictures announced it would produce a remake of the original film too much critical pandering. Some of the criticism stemmed from the timing of the announcement which occurred shortly after Robin Williams, the original film's actor committed suicide.
Critics of the announcement also cited that a remake was unnecessary.
However, the project had undergone several changes since its announcement, and it was eventually revealed through the film's second trailer that the film was a sequel set more than two decades after the events of the first film.
"Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle" was met with critical acclaim especially over its hilarious twist and the performance of its actors.
