Sony Pictures scored a major hit with its recent reboot Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, with the film holding its own against Star Wars: The Last Jedi and pulling in a hefty $931 million at the worldwide box office.
Speaking to Screen Rant, actress Karen Gillan has been chatting about the success of the movie, which is Sony’s second-biggest domestic release behind 2002’s Spider-Man, and the studio’s second-biggest worldwide hit after 2012’s Skyfall.
“I think we all had confidence in it, but it was still a ballsy move to release up against Star Wars because that’s just, yeah, that’s like a crazy thing to do, I think,” said Gillan. “We all felt like it was a really strong film, but I don’t think any of us anticipated quite this level of success. I mean, it’s turned into a bit of a phenomenon. I mean, we’re all just jumping up and down, we’re celebrating. It’s incredible and so exciting that people are enjoying it.”
“I feel incredibly lucky to be involved in things that people are enjoying as much because it’s not always the case,” said Gillan. “It’s quite rare to be involved in things that people care about and you’re constantly trying to make people care about your projects [laughs], and to just be involved in [things] people are clearly enjoying is just the most rewarding part of all of this because I think the most important thing is the fans audiences who are watching the things.”
2018 is shaping up to be a massive year for Gillan, who will reprise her Guardians of the Galaxy role as Nebula in April’s Avengers: Infinity War, and will also be returning to the world of Jumanji next year for the recently announced Welcome to the Jungle sequel.
In the brand new adventure Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the tables are turned as four teenagers in detention are sucked into the world of Jumanji. When they discover an old video game console with a game they’ve never heard of, they are immediately thrust into the game’s jungle setting, into the bodies of their avatars, played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan. What they discover is that you don’t just play Jumanji –Jumanji plays you. They’ll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, or they’ll be stuck in the game forever…
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sees Jake Kasdan (Sex Tape) directing a cast that includes Dwayne Johnson (The Fate of the Furious), Kevin Hart (Central Intelligence), Jack Black (Goosebumps), Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), Rhys Darby (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Nick Jonas (Scream Queens), Alex Wolff (The Sitter), Madison Iseman (Still the King), Morgan Turner (Remember Me) and Ser’Darius Blain (Star Trek Into Darkness).