Kung Fu Panda 4 Aims To Kick Box Office Butt
02 -03-2024
Do not assume that, my dear reader, you are always interested in what I have to say about the box office or the film industry. If you are, then I won't bore you with the awful year it has been. The "Dune: Part Two", although it is here (to a certain extent), has not been able to boost ticket sales. This is a decline the film industry cannot afford at this time. Kung Fu Panda is a new hero on the way.
Universal and DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 4" arrives next weekend. The return of Jack Black as Po will not be enough to boost the box office at record levels. However, the film should provide a slight bump. Box Office Pro estimates that Po will earn between $30-$39 million during its first frame. The film will open against Blumhouse’s horror movie "Imaginary," who is hoping to make anywhere from $8-15 million. The holdover audiences for "Dune" and all of this should lead to a good weekend.
The latest sequel to "Kung Fu Panda", which is due out in theaters on April 15, will be the family-friendly film since Illumination released "Migration", back in December. Universal released the film, and has become known for its family-friendly films in this pandemic-era. Universal is essentially eating Disney for lunch, as Mouse House has suffered major misfires such as "Wish", which was 2023's largest flop. This movie is likely to be a hit well past its opening weekend.
Will Kung Fu Panda bring in families to the theaters?
Po (Black) is the focus of the fourth film. He has been chosen to be the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. He must first find and train another Dragon Warrior to take his position. In the meantime, Chameleon, the powerful sorceress who can change into any shape, (Viola Davis), sets out to steal Po's Staff of Wisdom. This will give her the ability to summon all of the villains Po has previously defeated. Mike Mitchell (Trolls) directed "Kung Fu Panda 4", which featured an A-list voice cast including Awkwafina and Dustin Hoffman. James Hong, Bryan Cranston Ian McShane Ke Huy Quan, a recent Oscar winner, also appeared.
The 2016 "Kung Fu Panda 3", which opened at $41 millions, then grew to $143 in the United States. It made an impressive $521 million globally, which means that it earned more than 72% its revenue overseas. This is an international franchise. This includes a staggering $154 million dollars in China, and since the Pandemic American films haven't done well there. Universal could make this film a success without the windfall from China if it kept its budget low. After all, "Kung Fu Panda", a franchise worth $1.8 billion is still a hit.
For example, "Migration" cost only $72 million and grossed $270 millions worldwide to date. The film opened at just under $12 million and has had an incredibly long run. It's great to hear that the film has a longer run because there is less competition for family movies. This is exactly what happened to "Puss In Boots: The Final Wish," which reached $485 millions worldwide following an opening weekend that was less than 13 million dollars domestically. All of this bodes well to Po's return.
The next "Kung Fu Panda" movie will be released on 8 March 2024.