After several years, the Kung Fu Panda franchise is still kicking at the box office. Kung Fu Panda 4 started its theatrical run with $3.8 million in Thursday previews from 4,035 North American theaters, THR reported.
The fourth Kung Fu Panda movie is expected to garner more than $50 million at the Oscar weekend box office, poised to provide a significant win for DreamWorks and Universal as well as animated family fare in general.
Po and Paul Atreides compete in the Oscar-weekend box office
The Jack Black-led animated feature is fighting against Timothee Chalamet’s Dune: Part Two at the box office, which opened to a staggering $82.5 million domestically and finished at $200 million globally in Thursday previews. However, Kung Fu Panda 4 proves to be a force to be reckoned with as it is projected to make between $45 million and $50 million, while the Denis Villeneuve-helmed epic is expected to acquire $40 million to $45 million in its second weekend.
What to expect from Kung Fu Panda 4?
In the fourth movie from the already successful franchise — which began back in 2008 — Black reprises his role as Po alongside Dustin Hoffman as master Shifu, Ian McShane as Tai Lung, James Hong as Po’s adoptive father Mr. Ping, and Bryan Cranston as Po’s biological father Li Shan.
The franchise also welcomed new voice cast members for the fourth installment, with Viola Davis as The Chameleon, Awkwafina as Zhen, and Ke Huy Quan as Han.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is directed by Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Ma Stine. It centers on Po’s new responsibility as the newest Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, wherein he trains his future successor. He will find himself battling against a shape-shifting sorceress who plans to bring back all the villains Po had fought in the past.
The synopsis reads: “After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior, is called upon by destiny to… give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position.”
Kung Fu Panda 4 is now in theaters.
