The two previous “Panda” movies opened in the early summer, with their opening weekend earnings reported at .2 million and .6 million, respectively. The Illumination Ent. film went on to earn $68.5 million in China.
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Kung Fu Panda 3 is set in China with the film’s lead Po, played by Jack Black, meeting his biological father before confronting an evil supernatural warrior.
Forbes notes, however, that if Kung Fu Panda 3 fails to meet box office expectations then Hollywood might have “lost its competitive edge in the world’s most strategically important box office territory”.
In addition to opening at the No. 1 spot in the US with an estimated $41 million (breaking the January opening record), Kung Fu Panda 3’s day-and-date release in China and other key overseas markets has brought in an additional $75.7 million in worldwide box office takings.
The Revenant, a grisly tale of back-country survival and revenge starring Leonardo DiCaprio and showered with Oscar nominations, settled into second after topping the rankings last week.
The threequel is the first studio animated event film of 2014, and was produced by DWA and Oriental DreamWorks, with backing from the China Film Group.
In other weekend debuts, Fifty Shades of Black fell on its face and could only muster a mere $6.2 million. “The Force Awakens” added $10.9 million at the box office, and is now sitting at $895.4 million in domestic box office revenue.
Disney’s period rescue drama The Finest Hours tanked with only $10.3 million in its opening weekend, thanks to mixed reviews (59% on Rotten Tomatoes) though it did receive an A- Cinemascore.
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And the troubled Jane Got a Gun only opened to $803,000 in 1,210 locations, for an average of $664 per theater. It came in third with over $10.7 million.
