'Kung Fu Panda 4' Box Office: 5 Lessons From A Butt-Kicking $58 Million Domestic Debut

Can Disney regain their animated mojo? Is Jack Black the biggest kid-friendly movie star in Hollywood? All of that, and so much more...!

Universal and DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 4 kicked Dune Part Two off the top of the domestic box office mountain (even as the sci-fi sequel held very well in weekend two), earning a rousing $58.3 million in its Fri-Sun debut. That includes $3.8 million in Thursday previews and a $19.5 million Friday, giving the animated sequel a 2.99x weekend multiplier. That is the biggest launch for the Jack Black-led franchise since the $60 million debut of Kung Fu Panda in June of 2008, although Kung Fu Panda 2 earned $47 million over the Fri-Sun part of its $66 million Thurs-Mon Memorial Day weekend debut in 2011. The $41 million debut of Kung Fu Panda 3 in January of 2016 would be “only” $50 million adjusted for inflation, so this is still a top-tier debut for one of DreamWorks’ flagship franchises. It is also A) the second biggest “part four” animated launch behind Toy Story 4 ($120 million in June 2019) and B) the fourth-biggest Covid-era toon debut behind Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ($121 million last June), Universal’s Minions: The Rise of Gru ($125 million over a Fri-Mon debut in July of 2022) and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($146 million Fri-Sun/$205 million Wed-Sun last April).  

In terms of long-range guestimates, DreamWorks toons tend to be leggy. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish legged out to $187 million from a $26 million Wed-Sun launch in late 2022/early 2023. How To Train Your Dragon reached $217 million from a $43 million debut in April 2010. But even if the new DWA toon isn’t a contemporary classic, audiences still show up over the long haul as parents consider DWA a trusted “no tears” animated brand. Merely fun romps like Trolls ($153 million from a $46 million debut), Trolls Band Together ($107/$30 million), The Bad Guys ($97 million/$24 million), The Boss Baby ($175 million/$50 million), The Croods ($187 million/$43 million) and Home ($177 million/$52 million) all earned 3.3-4.2x multipliers). At worst, Kung Fu Panda 4 only legs like How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($161 million/$57 million) and ends with $171 million in North America. However, even with more kid competition (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Godzilla x Kong) closing out March, the well-reviewed (70% and 6.1/10 from Rotten Tomatoes) and well-received (an A- from CinemaScore) fourth Po passion play could flirt with $200 million domestic by the end. 

So, what did we learn this weekend? For such invaluable insight and jaw-dropping punditry, that will cost you...!