Event Recap: Disney’s ‘Jungle Cruise’ Opening Night with D23

On Thursday, July 29th, D23 Gold Members were given the opportunity to see a special opening night screening of Walt Disney Studio’s newest blockbuster Jungle Cruise at the renowned El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

El Capitan Theatre

As guests of D23, AllEars was invited to attend the Jungle Cruise premiere and revisit the experience of seeing movies on the big screen once more.

Health Precautions

Prior to arrival, guests were informed of the various safety precautions the theater was taking to decrease transmission risk in this COVID era.  Masks were mandatory for everyone regardless of vaccination status, and a health screening checklist was given out for people to evaluate themselves (reporting was on the honor system basis.)

JUNGLE CRUISE Opening Night with D23

Concessions

Once inside the theater, guest tickets included a 20 oz drink, box of popcorn, Jungle Cruise Skipper hat, and a special treat for the night, DOLE Whip, courtesy of Hula Girls Shave Ice.

JUNGLE CRUISE Opening Night with D23 skipper hat display
DOLE Whip delivery
DOLE Whip provided by Hula Girls Shave Ice

Inside the theater

Up in the balconies, costumes from the film were on display.

JUNGLE CRUISE costumes worn by Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson on display at the El Capitan Theatre
JUNGLE CRUISE costumes worn by  Jack Whitehall and Jesse Plemons on display at the El Capitan Theatre

Playing us in was El Capitan’s long-standing resident organist Rob Richards.

El Capitan organist Rob Richards

Prior to the start of the movie, the audience had a surprise guest in the form of Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek who, along with D23 President Michael Vargo, delivered some introductory comments welcoming people back to the start of D23 in-person events.

Photos and Merchandise

After the movie finished, guests could finish off their night enjoying the photo-op in the lobby and shopping for merchandise in the adjoining Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop.

JUNGLE CRUISE at the El Capitan Theatre photo-op
JUNGLE CRUISE merchandise at the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop
JUNGLE CRUISE merchandise at the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop

A fun night and a welcome first in-person event for D23 since this whole pandemic began.  Here’s hoping things continue to settle so we can all safely enjoy more to come.

Disney’s Jungle Cruise is currently playing in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access.

Be sure to follow @allearsnet on Instagram and Twitter!

Check out our YouTube Channel for reviews, news, information and more!

Questions?  Comments?  Suggestions?  Let us know below!

Click below to subscribe to the AllEars® newsletter so you don’t miss any of the latest Disney news!

Click here to subscribe

Disclosure: We were invited by D23 to attend a media event of Jungle Cruise. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.

Trending Now

Jeanine resides in Southern California, pursuing the sort of lifestyle that makes her the envy of every 11-year-old she meets. She has been to every Disney theme park in the world and while she finds Tokyo DisneySea the Fairest Of Them All, Disneyland is her Home Park... and there is no place like home.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *