The fourth installment of the Kung Fu Panda franchise began its theatrical run with $3.8 million during Thursday previews, which started at 2 p.m., before officially opening nationwide on Friday.
Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s latest release, Kung Fu Panda 4, is on track to have the second-highest opening for the franchise, with a projected total of $52 million. On Friday, including previews, the movie made $18.4 million across 4,035 theaters (According to Deadline).
Returning voice cast members for Kung Fu Panda 4 include Dustin Hoffman as Kung Fu master Shifu, James Hong as Po’s adoptive father, Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father Li, and Ian McShane as Shifu’s nemesis.
Directed by Mike Mitchell, who previously directed Trolls and Shrek Forever After, the Kung Fu Panda 4 franchise introduces several new characters, such as Viola Davis, who plays a tiny lizard and shapeshifting sorceress, and Awkwafina, who portrays a quick-witted thief against whom Po must safeguard their world. Additionally, Ke Huy Quan joins the cast.
The first Kung Fu Panda movie, which was distributed by Paramount, opened to $60.2 million back in 2008. and went on to earn a total of $632 million globally. The subsequent two sequels were equally successful; “Kung Fu Panda 2” opened in 2011 with an opening of $47.6 million and earned a total of $665 million worldwide, while “Kung Fu Panda 3” debuted with $41 million in 2016 and grossed $521 million in total.
Many of the films nominated for Oscars are already available to watch at home, but some may receive a boost in box office sales. If Christopher Nolan and Universal’s Oppenheimer wins the award for Best Picture, it will make history by becoming the highest-grossing movie to ever win since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2004. Oppenheimer has made almost $960 million in worldwide ticket sales.
Legendary/Warner Bros. “Dune: Part Two” earned $6.4 million on Thursday night, 4% less than it earned on Wednesday. The movie has collected a total of $111 million in its first week of release. Dune: Part Two had a fantastic opening with $82.5 million in domestic earnings and has now surpassed $110 million in North America and $200 million globally. Box office analysts predict that the movie could earn around $40 million in its second week.
This weekend also launched Lionsgate/Blumhouse’s horror thriller, “Imaginary,” which grossed $725K from Thursday previews that began at 6 PM. The Film is expected to have an opening weekend of $10M—$14M. Critics’ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes have not been favorable, with a rating of only 29%.