411 Box Office Report: Kung Fu Panda 4 Edges Dune: Part Two For Second Weekend Win

Kung Fu Panda 4 staved off Dune: Part Two for a second weekend atop the box office. The DreamWorks & Universal animated sequel took in $30 million in its second frame for the #1 spot. That’s a drop of 48%, which is very solid and slightly better than the holds for Kung Fu Panda 2 (50%) as well as Kung Fu Panda 3 (49%).

This is great news for the fourth entry in the franchise, which opened last week at a number better than either of its predecessor sequels despite having a lower budget. As it stands, Panda has grossed $107.7 million domestically and $176.5 million worldwide and has a legitimate shot at grossing $200 million domestically by the end of its run. With an $80 million budget, it’s a hit for the studios.

Speaking of hits, Dune: Part Two had a stellar hold in its third weekend as word of mouth continues to help it deliver. The sci-fi sequel brought in $29.1 million, off just 37% from last weekend’s numbers. That’s a great hold for a film that held on nicely last weekend as well and positions the film as a true megahit.

As of now, Dune: Part Two has grossed $205.3 million domestically and $494.7 million worldwide, having easily eclipsed the first film’s pandemic-era domestic total of $110 million and $431.2 million worldwide. The film is looking likely for at least $270 million stateside and has more or less assured the chances of a third film.

It was a weekend of modest new releases, with Mark Wahlberg’s Arthur The King leading the way at $7.5 million. That’s a disappointing total for a film that was expected to gross around $10 million to start. The inspirational drama, which is based on a true story, found itself crowded out by the one-two punch of Kung Fu Panda and Dune which left it (and every other film) picking up the scraps.

It didn’t help that critical reception for this film was only mildly positive at a 63% aggregated critic consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s a fine result, but not strong enough to draw attention to it and lags behind the 77% that the similarly themed Channing Tatum film Dog scored in February 2022 on its way to $14.9 million against weaker competition.

In better news for the film, word of mouth was quite good with an A CinemaScore and a 98% Rotten Tomatoes audience score. That will help its holds in successive weeks, though it has a little ways to go in order to make back its $19.5 million budget. As it stands, the movie seems likely to gross around $25 million to $28 million in the US which won’t be enough for profit, though it should make it to the black once it hits digital.

Blumhouse’s Imaginary had a nice hold in its second weekend, down 44% to $5.6 million. That’s far better than the 61% drop of the studio’s January release, Night Swim, and positions the Jeff Wadlow-directed movie for a bit of profit. The film has now grossed $19.1 million domestically and $20.8 million worldwide with a small overseas footprint thus far. It should end up with around $35 million domestically, a perfectly fine result against a $10 million budget.

Angel Studios’ Cabrini fell an expected 61% in its second weekend, bringing in $2.8 million. The period biopic didn’t have the buzz of Angel’s Sound of Freedom and has now totaled $13 million domestically with a minor amount of money from overseas. It should end its domestic run at about $20 million, slightly profitable against a $6.4 million budget.

Coming in at #6 was the Kristen Stewart-led Love Lies Bleeding, which expanded from a very tiny release into semi-wide release for $2.5 million. That’s fine if not great for the lesbian crime thriller, which has been catching rave reviews from critics but was never going to be positioned as a mainstream movie. Bleeding has grossed $2.8 million total and has very good word of mouth at an 88% RT audience rating and should be able to gross around $8 million before the digital release where it will make most of its money. No word about its budget.

Bob Marley: One Love was down 44% in its fifth weekend, taking in another $2.3 million. The biopic now has $93.4 million domestically and $169.2 million worldwide against a $70 million budget, making it a hit for Sony and a likely $100 million domestic grosser.

The World War II-era biographical drama One Life opened with $1.7 million in semi-wide release. The film, about Nicholas Winton who helped rescue Jewish children from the Holocaust, came into the weekend with mild expectations and delivered well mild results. This is another film that just couldn’t break through the noise, but it’s in fine shape as it has already grossed $24.9 million overseas after opening at the start of the year in other countries. It shouldn’t do much more in North America but is a likely profit for Bleecker Street, who specialize in these kinds of films.

The American Society of Magical Negroes received no real traction, as the satirical comedy opened at just $1.3 million. That’s below the $2 million to $3 million it was expected to do, likely because it lost any buzz it had when reviews came out. The film is at a lowly 30% RT critic score and word of mouth hasn’t been wonderful with a 60% RT audience score. The film is going to exit theaters pretty quickly and will make a play for more money through digital. No word on its budget.

Ordinary Angels closed out the top 10 with $1 million, down a flat 50% from last weekend. The film has now totaled $18.1 million against a $12 million budget and should end its run around $20 million in the US.

A new box office king will reign next weekend as Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire puts New York City in a deep freeze and should bring in around $35 million to $40 million. Also opening is the Sidney Sweeney nun horror flick Immaculate which is likely for around $5 million to $7 million, and a re-release of Disney’s Luca which may take in $1 million.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Kung Fu Panda 4 – $30 million ($107.7 million total, $176.5 million WW)
2. Dune: Part Two – $29.1 million ($205.3 million total, $494.7 million WW)
3. Arthur The King – $7.5 million ($7.5 million total, $7.5 million WW)
4. Imaginary – $5.6 million ($19.1 million total, $20.8 million WW)
5. Cabrini – $2.8 million ($13 million total, $13.1 million WW)
6. Love Lies Bleeding – $2.5 million ($2.8 million total, $2.8 million WW)
7. Bob Marley: One Love – $2.3 million ($93.4 million total, $169.2 million WW)
8. One Life – $1.7 million ($1.7 million total, $26.6 million WW)
9. The American Society of Magical Negroes – $1.3 million ($1.3 million total, $1.3 million WW)
10. Ordinary Angels – $1 million ($18.1 million total, $18.1 million WW)