Director Mike Mitchell attends a premiere of the film Kung Fu Panda 4 in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 3.Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
As Universal Pictures prepared for a big night at the Academy Awards with Oppenheimer, the studio also celebrated the No. 1 debut of Kung Fu Panda 4, which collected US$58.3-million in domestic theatres over the weekend, according to estimates Sunday.
Kung Fu Panda 4, the first film in the DreamWorks Animation franchise since the third instalment in 2016, got off to a better start than all but the 2008 original. That Kung Fu Panda, which began the mystical adventures of Jack Black’s panda warrior Po, launched with US$60.2-million.
Working in favour of Kung Fu Panda 4: It’s the first big family movie since Migration and Wonka hit theatres in December. Kung Fu Panda 4 added US$22-million internationally.
The news was just as good for last week’s top film, Dune: Part Two. Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic sequel held strongly in its second week, dropping a modest 44 per cent. It grossed US$46-million in its second week, bringing its domestic cumulative total to US$157-million for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.
Riding strong reviews, great word-of-mouth and plenty of sand worms, Dune: Part Two appears well set up for a long theatrical run. Most of Sunday’s Oscar nominees have already moved on to home viewing platforms, but Dune could wind up at next year’s Academy Awards.
Opening in third place was the Lionsgate, Blumhouse horror release Imaginary, about a sinister teddy bear. It debuted with US$10-million.
Following it was Cabrini, a portrait of the 19th century Catholic missionary Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (played by Cristiana Dell’Anna). The film, released by the Christian-based company Angel Studios, the studio behind the 2023 surprise hit Sound of Freedom, collected US$7.5-million.
A24 also debuted the critically acclaimed neo-noir Love Lies Bleeding, starring Kristen Stewart, on five screens in New York and Los Angeles. It grossed US$167,463 for a good per-screen average of US$33,493.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. Kung Fu Panda 4, US$58.3-million.
2. Dune: Part Two, US$46-million.
3. Imaginary, US$10-million.
4. Cabrini, US$7.6-million.
5. Bob Marley: One Love, US$4.1-million.
6. Ordinary Angels, US$2-million.
7. Madame Web, US$1.1-million.
8. Migration, US$1.1-million.
9. Yolo, US$840,000
10. MET Opera: La Forza del Destino, US$768,000.