Introduction
What’s better than a weekend spent watching your favorite movies? How about Kung Fu Panda 4 taking the top spot at the mainland China box office in its first official week of release! While the debut may have been soft, it still led to one of the quietest weekends of the year in the market. Let’s dive into the details and see how this beloved franchise is faring in its latest installment.
A Soft Start for Kung Fu Panda 4
The Universal-DreamWorks Animation picture managed to earn $14.7 million (RMB105 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data provided by consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. However, when factoring in the previews from the previous weekend, the film finished Sunday with $25.9 million (RMB184 million), putting it on top of the box office. Although these numbers may be lower compared to Kung Fu Panda 3, which earned $57.8 million in a similar weekend, it’s important to note that the third iteration was an official U.S.-China co-production. In contrast, Kung Fu Panda 4 is considered a foreign picture, subject to import quotas and the associated revenue-sharing distribution regime.
The Competition
Despite Kung Fu Panda 4‘s win, it faced some stiff competition at the box office. Taiwanese crime film The Pig, The Snake and the Pigeon, which is already available on Netflix outside of China, slipped to second place in its fourth weekend of release. It managed to accumulate $6.8 million (RMB48.5 million) since its release on March 1. Legendary East’s Dune 2 also fell to third place in its third week, adding $4.6 million to bring its cumulative total to $44.2 million.
Exciting Upcoming Releases
There’s no shortage of excitement at the box office, with plenty of upcoming releases on the horizon. Viva La Vida, to be released next week by Lian Ray Pictures, has already made an impact with its previews alone, earning $3.6 million (RMB25.6 million) and securing the fourth spot. Additionally, it has a cumulative total of $16.6 million (RMB118 million), which includes its previous official debut on February 10. This romantic comedy-drama, directed by Han Yan, tells the heartwarming story of two people with serious illnesses who find love and care for each other.
The Weekend Box Office
As for the overall weekend box office in China, it reached $39.5 million, bringing the year-to-date running score to an impressive $2.24 billion. With these numbers, it seems like 2024 is off to a promising start in the world of cinema.
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Source: Variety