‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ again beats sandworms in North America box office

FOR a second weekend running, Kung Fu Panda 4 battled its way to the top of the North American box office, narrowly edging out Dune: Part Two, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.

Panda, a martial arts comedy from Universal and DreamWorks Animation, took in an estimated US$30 million for the Friday (Mar 15) to Sunday period, while the Warner Brothers Dune sequel, about war and survival in a sand-covered planet inhabited by giant worms, earned a respectable US$29.1 million.

Panda has now taken in US$107.7 million in theatres in the United States and Canada plus an additional US$176.5 million internationally.

Dune, released a week earlier, has seen domestic ticket sales of US$157.2 million and international sales of US$210 million.

After those two films, there was a sharp dropoff in North America, with Lionsgate’s new release Arthur the King taking in just US$7.5 million.

Arthur, the story of an adventurer who befriends an injured stray dog, may have an identity problem, said analyst David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

“It is not a family film or a comedy, but it is not a hard adventure for moviegoers who like edgier entertainment. All of that complicates the sell.”

Mark Wahlberg plays the man; Arthur is played by Ukai, an Australian shepherd/border collie/Bouvier mix, according to dogtime.com.

In fourth, down one spot from last weekend, was horror film Imaginary from Lionsgate and Blumhouse Productions, at US$5.6 million.

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And in fifth, also down one spot, was Angel Studios’ Cabrini, at US$2.7 million. Cristiana Dell’Anna plays Francesca Cabrini, an Italian nun in 19th-century New York who clashes with politicians and church officials while trying to care for impoverished immigrants.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

• Love Lies Bleeding (US$2.5 million).
• Bob Marley: One Love (US$2.3 million).
• One Life (US$1.7 million).
• The American Society of Magical Negroes (US$1.3 million).
• Ordinary Angels (US$1 million). AFP