The “Kung Fu Panda” franchise is one of the most successful animated series in Hollywood, bringing in over $1.3 billion globally since the original in 2008. This may have been due to weak competition in theaters, the holiday surge of awards movies growing stale, a paltry offering of new weekend releases, and a seeming drought of animated films (giving exception to Norm of the North, coined a failure on many different levels).
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Additionally, “Kung Fu Panda 3” is being released in China in a Mandarin-language version that includes new animation aimed at the Chinese market with a local voice cast including Jackie Chan.
In the box-office battle of the bears, 20th Century Fox’s “Kung Fu Panda 3” kicked the Oscar-nominated “The Revenant” from the top spot this weekend.
In other weekend debuts, Marlon Wayans’ “Fifty Shades of Black” fell on its face and could only muster a mere $6.2 million.
Disney’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” led the rest of the pack with $10.8 million at 2,566 locations, lifting its record-setting US total to $895.4 million.
A poster of the movie Kung Fu Panda 3.
Starring Chris Pine and Casey Affleck, it’s based on the true story of a 1952 rescue of a ship that breaks apart during a raging New England nor’easter.
And Disney’s (DIS) “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” nabbed third with $10.7 million in its seventh weekend.
“The Revenant” was in second place with an estimated 12.4 million dollars in sales this weekend, which was down a slim 23 percent compared with last week’s ticket sales. The film is estimated to have garnered $116 million globally, though numbers won’t be officially released until Monday. On the plus side for the studio, it only cost around $6 million to produce.
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Gavin O’Connor’s Jane Got a Gun, starring Portman opposite Joel Edgerton and Ewan McGregor, found itself quickly run out out of town.
