Jungle Cruise hit theaters and Disney+ in July, and delighted plenty of audiences worldwide. Earlier today, it was officially announced that Jungle Cruise 2 is happening. Giggles abound, as the press tour may have been even more delightful than the movie itself. Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson had great chemistry onscreen, and this may have translated from real life. The two know how to make each other laugh, and have fun riffing off of each other. We see that in several press tour outtakes which conclude with Emily Blunt pulling a hilarious snake prank on The Rock. Yes, he genuinely jumps.
For those who need proof of chemistry, Dwayne Johnson recently shared a highlight reel on his Instagram featuring plenty of the best moments from the press tour. The caption of the post says: “It never ends with us… and she got me good with that f*cking snake ???? ???? The roasting. The fun. The belly laughs. THANK YOU guys for discovering and loving our movie and already making JUNGLE CRUISE the biggest family blockbuster of 2021. em & dj, and our entire #junglecruise family ???? ps ~ we have some big jungle cruise news coming next week….!!!”
The news in question was the official Jungle Cruise 2 announcement, which happened this morning. Jungle Cruise thus far has grossed $187 million worldwide, however, the film has a $200 million budget. It’s also unclear how much Jungle Cruise has made in total from Disney+ Premier Access. While it hasn’t put up game-changing box office numbers, audiences had a mostly positive response to Jungle Cruise. In fact, Johnson recently celebrated Jungle Cruise having his highest audience score ever at 92%.
Jungle Cruise is based on the classic Disneyland attraction that has been at the park since 1955 and has also opened at the other Disney parks around the world including Disney World in Orlando, FL. The film brings in mythology and lore to the story while also keeping the cheesy puns and references to the ride that fans can appreciate. However, the highlight of the film for many is the on-screen chemistry between Blunt and Johnson. In a recent interview with ET Online, Blunt shared why it was so fun to play this character alongside Johnson.
“It’s such a cool dynamic to watch because they’re polarized from each other,” Emily Blunt said. “They have such different philosophies on life and their sense of humor, like how they walk into every day, it’s just completely the antithesis of one another. So, I think it makes for this really fun interplay between them that’s reminiscent of those Romancing the Stone films … That clash of like two people that are kind of storming into each other’s world.”
The Rock has a history of bringing money to franchises with Fast and Furious and Jumanji, so it’s no surprise that Disney sees franchise potential in Jungle Cruise. While a franchise based around a ride sounds absurd, Disney has already seen immense success with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
If a second Jungle Cruise movie means more of Blunt and Johnson working together, then it’s something to look forward to. For those who want to see some more hilarious moments from the press tour, check out a video from Walt Disney Studios where Blunt and Johnson take over a Jungle Cruise boat as the skippers. It’ll certainly put a smile on your face.