J. Kim Murphy It’s been nearly three months since an animated wide release hit theaters, the last being Illumination’s “Migration” over the holidays.
That’s a little bit frightening, but with some expert timing “Kung Fu Panda 4” has arrived, benefitting from a lack of competition for family audiences to score some strong numbers in its debut.
Universal’s animated sequel kicked off to $19.4 million from 4,035 theaters across its opening day and preview screenings. That’s the strongest opening day for the series since the 2008 original nabbed $20 million on its first day, on its way to a $60.2 million total across the three-day frame.
This new fourth entry won’t reach those heights, projecting an opening of $55 million, but it’ll come in ahead of the figures earned by the 2010 sequel ($47.6 million) and 2016 threequel ($41.2 million).
Read more on variety.com