"Kung Fu Panda 4" Knocks Out Box Office Competition w/ $58M Opening

[JamesG]

Kung Fu Panda 4 Powers to $58 Million Debut, Dune 2 Surpasses $150 Million
by Rebecca Rubin
March 10, 2024


Universal and DreamWork’s animated adventure Kung Fu Panda 4 topped the domestic box office, earning a solid $58.3 million from 4,035 theaters in its opening weekend.

It marks the biggest debut of the franchise since the original, 2008’s Kung Fu Panda ($60 million), overtaking the start of the two prior entries, 2016’s Kung Fu Panda 3 ($41 million) and 2011’s Kung Fu Panda 2 ($47.6 million), not adjusted for inflation.

Internationally, the fourth film in the martial arts-inspired animated comedy collected $22 million from 41 markets for a global tally of $80 million.





Although Dune: Part Two relinquished its box office crown to Panda, the sci-fi sequel had another strong outing with $46 million from 4,074 venues. It marks a 44% decline in ticket sales from its debut (an impressive hold for a blockbuster of this scale) and brings the film’s North American total to $157 million.

Globally, the big-budget follow-up has generated $367.5 million.





Another newcomer, Lionsgate’s Blumhouse thriller Imaginary, arrived on par with expectations of $10 million from 3,118 locations. The movie cost just over $10 million so it’s well-positioned in its theatrical run.

That’s good because Imaginary, a horror film about a woman who is tormented by her old teddy bear named Chauncey, was panned by audiences and critics. It holds a “C+” CinemaScore and a 31% Rotten Tomatoes average.





The weekend’s third new release, Angel Studio’s faith-based drama Cabrini, landed in fourth place on domestic charts. It collected a so-so $7.7 million from 2,840 cinemas despite being embraced by moviegoers, who granted the film an “A” CinemaScore.

Cabrini is the second theatrical release from indie distribution Angel Studios following last summer’s Sound of Freedom.





Paramount’s musical biopic Bob Marley: One Love dropped to the No. 5 spot with $4 million from 2,764 locations.

The $70 million-budgeted film has become a surprise box office success with $89 million in North America and $160 million globally.





Elsewhere, A24’s romantic thriller Love Lies Bleeding opened to $167,463 from five screens (averaging $33,493 per location).

Rose Glass directed the film, which stars Kristen Stewart as a reclusive gym manager who falls for a bodybuilder. Their love leads to violence as they get pulled into the web of Lou’s criminal family. The film, which was positively received during its Sundance premiere, will continue to expand to 1,200 screens next week.

https://variety.com/2024/film/box-of...ne-1235936650/






March 8-10, 2024: Weekend Studio Estimates

1. Kung Fu Panda 4 $58,300,000
2. Dune: Part Two $46,000,000 / $157,027,668
3. Imaginary $10,000,000
4. Cabrini $7,565,038
5. Bob Marley: One Love $4,060,000 / $89,327,503
6. Ordinary Angels $2,030,000 / $16,143,032
7. Madame Web $1,125,000 / $42,619,699
8. Migration $1,100,000 / $125,331,060
9. Yolo $840,000
10. Wonka $600,000 / $217,790,096

[JamesG]

Kung Fu Panda 4 Dethrones Dune 2, Mark Wahlberg’s Arthur the King Lacks Bite
by Pamela McClintock
March 17, 2024


Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune: Part Two are still going strong at the box office, with both movies celebrating milestones this weekend.

From DreamWorks Animation and Universal, the Jack Black-voiced Kung Fu Panda 4 dethroned Dune 2 in its sophomore weekend with an estimated $30 million from 4,067 theaters as it leapt past the $100 million mark to finish Sunday with a 10-day domestic total of $107.7 million.

Overseas, it grossed another $39.6 million for a foreign tally of $68.6 million and $176.4 million globally. The pic fell a respectable 48 percent domestically.





Not far behind was Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2, now in its third weekend. The Legendary-Warner Bros. tentpole is the first release of 2024 to clear $200 million domestically.

The pic earned an estimated $29.1 million from 3,847 cinemas, putting its North American total at $205.3 million.



Overseas, the sequel earned another $51.2 million this weekend from 73 markets for a dazzling foreign tally of $289.4 million and a global booty of $494.7 million.

It has already eclipsed the $433 grossed by the first Dune — which was released in 2021, during the pandemic — and should ultimately end up well north of $600 million globally.





New offerings in North America this weekend included feel-good canine adventure drama Arthur the King, featuring an ensemble cast led by Mark Wahlberg.

The Lionsgate and eOne film opened on the low end of expectations with an estimated $7.5 million from 3,003 cinemas. Tracking this week had suggested $8 million to $10 million, but the film’s backers believe an A CinemaScore from audiences will result in long legs.





Lionsgate also took the fourth spot on the chart with Blumhouse’s supernatural horror pic Imaginary, which earned an estimated $5.6 million from 3,118 cinemas in its sophomore outing for a 10-day cume of $18.1 million.

Rounding out the top five was Angel Studios’ faith-themed Cabrini, which fell off a steep 61 percent in its second weekend. The biographical drama about a real-life 18th century Catholic missionary earned an estimated $2.8 million from 2,850 theaters for a 10-day domestic tally of $12 million.





The forecast is even worse for Focus Features’ The American Society of Magical Negroes, another new wide offering. The specialty title placed No. 9 with an estimated $1.25 million from 1,143 theaters.

The satirical comedy tells the tale of a young man who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier. (By expanding nationwide, the film will be available relatively quickly on premium VOD for $19.99.)





Another specialty film making a nationwide push is A24’s Love Lies Bleeding, which placed No. 6 with $2.5 million after expanding into a total of 1,362 theaters for an early domestic cume of $2.7 million.

Bleecker Street, another indie distributor, opened Anthony Hopkins-starrer One Life in select cinemas domestically. The movie placed No. 8 with $1.7 million from 983 locations. The holocaust-related drama, a joint British-U.S. production, has already grossed north of $25 million overseas since its December 2023 release.





Following Oppenheimer‘s Oscars sweep last week, Warners rereleased Christopher Nolan’s movie in more than 1,300 theaters domestically.

Rereleases don’t usually generate huge grosses — exceptions include Avatar — and Oppenheimer looks to earn roughly $300K for the weekend. The film, readily available to stream on Peacock and Max, is the top-grossing best picture Oscar winner in 20 years after amassing nearly $959 million at the global box office.

It’s unlikely, however, that it will be able to clear $1 billion even with this rerelease.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/mo...nd-1235854014/





March 15-17, 2024: Weekend Studio Estimates

1. Kung Fu Panda 4 $30,000,000 / $107,743,755
2. Dune: Part Two $29,100,000 / $205,317,917
3. Arthur the King $7,500,000
4. Imaginary $5,600,000 / $19,081,668
5. Cabrini $2,814,183 / $13,003,109
6. Love Lies Bleeding $2,762,268
7. Bob Marley: One Love $2,300,000 / $93,365,002
8. One Life $1,708,813
9. The American Society of Magical Negroes $1,250,000
10. Ordinary Angels $1,000,000 / $18,072,921