“Kung Fu Panda 4” debuted #1 at the box-office with an estimated $58.3 million domestic take this weekend (from 4,035 locations). It’s the biggest debut of the franchise since the original, 2008’s “Kung Fu Panda” ($60 million), overtaking 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).
Meanwhile, word of mouth continues to drive “Dune: Part Two.” Denis Villeneuve’s sand epic grossed an estimated $46 million (from 4,074 locations), which was only a 44% decrease from last weekend. Estimated total domestic gross now stands at $157 million — far surpassing the 2021 original’s $108 million. A final domestic tally of $300 million is now not out of the question.
“Dune: Part Two” and “Kung Fu Panda 4” have helped revive what was a limp start to the 2024 box office — this year’s grosses are still 10% behind the same point in 2023, according to Comscore. A few key titles to look out for in the coming weeks include “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” (March 22), and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (March 29).
As expected, Snyder's latest is being torn apart by TIFF attendees. No mercy given. The film, which had its world premiere this evening, is being called by some one of the worst movies to ever premiere at the festival.