Marking the first animated wide release since “Migration,” the fourth “Kung Fu Panda” film hit cinemas this weekend and soared to strong numbers.
The film pulled in $19.4 million across its opening day and preview screenings, the strongest opening day for the series since the 2008 original took $20 million.
That original landed on $60.2 million, and this will fall just shy of it, with estimates now around $55 million – the second-best opening of the franchise to date.
It’s also a cost-effective entry coming in at an $85 million production budget, just over half that of its predecessors. Critics reviews, however, are decidedly more mixed at 69% (6.1/10) on Rotten Tomatoes, a far cry from the previous three which all scored in the 80s.
Audiences have been more forgiving, awarding it an A- CinemaScore. Both critics and audiences were far less forgiving of Blumhouse’s “Imaginary” which opened in third place with an opening weekend of around $10 million.
Boasting an economical $12 million production budget, it’s going to be fine financially. The C+ CinemaScore and 31% Rotten Tomatoes however suggest it’s not going to have much life.
One film that is very much alive is “Dune: Part Two”, which earned $12.3 million on Friday and is on track for a $44 million second weekend haul – an impressive hold as it’s a drop of just 47%. By end of weekend it domestically should be at around $150 million.
With the lion’s share of premium large-format showtimes for almost two more weeks, the film is expected to have a strong run throughout the month.
“Sound of Freedom” distributors Angel Studios released “Cabrini” this weekend, a biopic about a Catholic missionary and Italian immigrant devoted to charity efforts in 19th-century New York. It’s headed for a decent $7-8 million opening and landed an impressive ‘A’ CinemaScore.
Source: Variety
