As Universal Pictures got ready for a big night at the Academy Awards with “Oppenheimer,” they were also happy about the successful debut of “Kung Fu Panda 4,” which made $58.3 million in US theaters over the weekend.
“Kung Fu Panda 4” is the first movie in the DreamWorks Animation series since 2016. It had a better start than all but the original film in 2008. The 2008 movie, which started the adventures of Jack Black’s panda warrior Po, made $60.2 million.
What helped “Kung Fu Panda 4” was that it’s the first big family movie since “Migration” and “Wonka” were in theaters in December. “Kung Fu Panda 4” also made $22 million internationally.
The news was also good for last week’s top film, “Dune: Part Two.” The sci-fi epic sequel had a modest 44% drop in its second week and made $46 million, bringing its total to $157 million for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.
With strong reviews and good word-of-mouth, “Dune: Part Two” seems set for a long run in theaters. Most of Sunday’s Oscar nominees are already available for home viewing, but “Dune” could be at next year’s Academy Awards.
In third place was the Lionsgate, Blumhouse horror release “Imaginary,” about a scary teddy bear. It started with $10 million.
Next was “Cabrini,” a movie about the 19th century Catholic missionary Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (played by Cristiana Dell’Anna). It made $7.5 million and was released by the Christian-based company Angel Studios, the studio behind the 2023 surprise hit “Sound of Freedom.”
A24 also released the critically praised neo-noir “Love Lies Bleeding,” featuring Kristen Stewart, on five screens in New York and Los Angeles. It made $167,463 with an average of $33,493 per screen.
