DreamWorks Animation’s much-awaited sequel Kung Fu Panda 4 is expected to hit a major milestone not only at the box office but in the franchise’s history as well. The film debuted with an impressive domestic ticket sales, making it the second-biggest opening for the Kung Fu Panda film series.
It’s also considered an amazing feat as the movie only opened so far on selected international markets. Indeed, the massive opening is only a preview of the film’s apparent success in the next few weeks.
Kung Fu Panda 4 Proves The Franchise Is Very Much Alive With An Impressive Box-Office Earning
A post from Hollywood Handle revealed that Jack Black’s latest sequel crossed $200 million at the worldwide box office. The movie, with a reported budget of $85 million, is already gaining profit even though it only started rolling in cinemas two weeks ago.
‘KUNG FU PANDA 4’ crossed $200M at the worldwide box office.
The movie had a $85M budget.
Read our review: https://t.co/0BoyohrF1L pic.twitter.com/sETJ0zXOTO
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) March 21, 2024
As per Forbes, the entire Kung Fu Panda movie franchise “sits at approximately $1.82 billion in total box office gross.” The sequel ended up a major success after it emerged as the second-highest domestic opening for the animated film series. It is expected to cross $2 billion by the end of its theatrical run.
Director Mike Mitchell shared in an interview with The AU Review what he thinks are the ingredients that made Kung Fu Panda movies a universally beloved and successful project:
“I know that [Kung Fu Panda 4] is great. I always it’s three things: It’s Jack Black as Po, and you can watch Jack Black do anything. The second thing is, I think this franchise is the best franchise of all time. Just based on villains. I think it’s got the best villains I’ve ever seen in any animated feature. And that stands the test of time. And then thirdly, it’s the combination of humour and kung fu.”
With the combination of a not-so-complicated storyline that appeals to people of all ages and stunning animation art, it’s easy to see why Kung Fu Panda 4 easily attracted many viewers.
Why The Sequel Took So Long To Make
The previous installment of Kung Fu Panda premiered in 2016, and with that gap in time, it would have been difficult to gain the interest of viewers again. Still, the director knew how they would tread the path. Mitchell told Screen Rant:
“The only hesitation, that’s probably why it took so long to get to the screen, honestly, is we didn’t want to just make another one. Especially if we want people to go to the theater to see this on the big screen. We wanted it to be epic. We wanted it to be a great story. We wanted to further Po’s adventure. We wanted him to learn a lesson, to have a great theme.”
Meanwhile, fans are also shocked at the accomplishment of the sequel, especially without the star powers of Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan. Check out what they think about the movie:
Shows that even the weakest of this series is successful as shit
— PKMNTrainerLuigi (@HuntertheWeegee) March 21, 2024
Everyone likes Kung Fu and everyone loves pandas!
— Xavier Angel (@xprojecticarus) March 22, 2024
Damm. The UK still hasn't got it yet and it's made that much? Nice!
— A Boydude Reviews (@BoydudeReviews) March 21, 2024
As much as people say this movie is the weakest of the 4 films it's still financially successful so dubs for that
— SpoonReporter (@Spoon_Reporter) March 21, 2024
Wow and too think it was going to fail im shocked
— Tomd (@tommydangermou3) March 22, 2024
Even the weakest Kung Fu Panda movie can be a financial success. Now that's a franchise.
— Classy Mac (@classy_macready) March 21, 2024
Kung Fu Panda 4 debuted in the US last March 8; it arrives in UK cinemas on March 28.
