Movie

The epic sci-fi sequel is forced to relinquish the throne to the fourth installment of DreamWorks' animated film franchise after sitting atop the chart for just one week.

• Mar 11, 2024

AceShowbiz - Po has returned victorious. Following the release of "Kung Fu Panda 4" in the U.S. on March 8, the movie has kicked its way out to the top spot of the North American box office with a solid $58.3 million from 4,035 theaters.

It marks the biggest debut of the franchise since the original, 2008's "Kung Fu Panda", which opened to $60 million, and overtook 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.

Jim Orr appears not to be surprised by the resurgence of interest in the beloved animated franchise. "Family audiences were primed to come out and have fun with a much-beloved franchise," says Orr, Universal's president of domestic distribution. "Animated movies tend to leg out. We anticipate a tremendous corridor."

Meanwhile, David A. Gross of movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, sees the opening number of "Kung Fu Panda 4" as a big achievement for a movie in its genre. "This is an excellent opening for an animation sequel that's this far into its series," he weighs in. " 'Kung Fu Panda' is showing terrific strength now, with good momentum for another sequel."

Internationally, the fourth installment in DreamWorks Animation's martial arts-inspired comedy film series collected $22 million from 41 markets for a global tally of $80 million. The movie cost $85 million to produce, less than the first three movies, each of which cost about $150 million.

The responses to the film were mostly positive, with audiences giving it an A- CinemaScore. Meanwhile, the movie has a 69% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on critics' reviews.

The arrival of "Kung Fu Panda 4" forces "Dune: Part Two" to abdicate the throne after only one week sitting atop the chart. The sci-fi sequel, however, remained strong with an estimated $46 million, dropping 44.2%, despite being pushed to No. 2.

Following up at No. 3 is another newcomer, "Imaginary", a supernatural horror film co-produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions banner. It took in an estimated $10 million, the lowest end of industry projections, on its first weekend, after receiving negative reviews from critics. Audiences seemingly agreed, giving it an average grade of C+ on CinemaScore.

"Cabrini", a biopic about the life of Catholic missionary Francesca Cabrini, debuts at No. 4 with approximately $7.6 million, lower than the projected gross of about $8.5 million. Despite the so-so opening, the movie, which explores the sexism and anti-Italian racism faced by Cabrini and others in New York City during the late 19th century, was approved by critics, with 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Bob Marley: One Love" rounds out this week's box office with an estimated $4.1 million. Dropping one spot from last week's No. 4, the music biopic about the late reggae artist Bob Marley has collected a total of $89 million in North America and $160 million globally, becoming a surprise box office success.

Top 10 of North American Box Office (Mar. 08-10, 2024):

1. "Kung Fu Panda 4" - $58.3 million
2. "Dune: Part Two" - $46 million
3. "Imaginary" - $10 million
4. "Cabrini" - $7.6 million
5. "Bob Marley: One Love" - $4.1 million
6. "Ordinary Angels" - $2 million
7. "Madame Web" - $1.12 million
8. "Migration" - $1.1 million
9. "Yolo" - $840,000
10. "Wonka" - $600,000