Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” continues to win at the domestic box office, pulling in a solid $30 million in its second weekend of release. The family animated film grossed $107.7 million in North America and $176.5 million worldwide in its first 10 days of release.
These ticket sales easily surpassed Mark Wahlberg’s dog drama “Arthur the King,” which debuted in third place. It reached the lower end of expectations with a soft gross of $7.5 million from 3,003 theaters. Lionsgate spent $19 million on the heartwarming story of a man who befriends an injured stray dog, so its modest price tag may offset some of its box office shortcomings. While critics disliked King Arthur (64% on Rotten Tomatoes), moviegoers were more positive, giving the film an “A” rating on CinemaScore.
“It’s not a family movie or a comedy, but it’s not a difficult adventure for moviegoers who like edgy entertainment,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, a film consulting firm. “All of this complicates sales.”
Another newcomer, Focus Features’ satirical comedy “Magical Negro Society of America,” languished in ninth place. The film collected just $1.25 million from 1,146 venues. That’s fewer screens than your average wide release. Reviews and word-of-mouth may not be of help to “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” which has his 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by first-time director Kobi Libby and starring Justice Smith and David Alan Grier, the film is about a young man who is recruited by an organization that exists to make life easier for white people.
A close second was Dune: Part 2, which grossed a whopping $29 million from 3,847 venues in its third weekend of release. Ticket sales were down 37% from the previous weekend. So far, the sci-fi sequel has grossed $205 million in North America and more than $400 million worldwide. Next week, “Dune 2” will be available daily on HBO Max in the U.S. and Canada, and will surpass its $433 million-grossing predecessor worldwide.
Lionsgate’s Blumhouse thriller “Imaginary” came in fourth with $5.5 million from 3,118 locations. The film is a horror film about a woman who is tormented by an old teddy bear named Chauncey, and it grossed $19 million two weeks after its release. Fortunately for the studio, “Imaginary” cost about $11 million to make, so it has a decent spot in the theatrical run.
Angel Studio’s faith-based biographical drama “Cabrini” made it into the top five. The film added $2.9 million in 2,850 theaters, increasing its domestic box office to $13 million.
Overall, domestic box office revenue remains 9.6% behind 2023, according to ComScore. Next up is Sony’s fantasy comedy sequel Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empire (March 22) and Warner Bros. and Legendary’s monster mash-up Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (March 29). However, we hope to end the month on a strong note.
“‘Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empire’ and its follow-up, ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,’ together should boost the box office to begin the year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at comScore. said. “We’re hopeful that April will bring some unexpected hits that will help theaters build momentum for a solid summer movie season.”