Despite its Chinese cultural influence and fan expectations, DreamWorks Animation’s latest Hollywood film, Kung Fu Panda 4, failed to make a big impact on the Chinese box office, as the American studio shows that it cannot maintain its leading position in the region.
According to Artisan Gateway data, Kung Fu Panda 4 grossed $14.7 million over the weekend, making it one of the worst-grossing Chinese films this year. Even including last week’s previews, the film had grossed $25.9 million as of Sunday, far below the success of its predecessor, Kung Fu Panda 3. Kung Fu Panda 3 was released before the Lunar New Year in 2016 and grossed $57.8 million at the box office. It grossed $154.3 million in China alone in its opening weekend.
Despite the poor performance, Chinese ticketing app Cat Eye predicts that Kung Fu Panda 4’s gross revenue could reach $44 million, far more than its predecessor achieved. Far from standard.
Meanwhile, Dune: Part Two, the sequel to the 2021 film, has performed relatively well, grossing $4.6 million in its third weekend and a total of $44.6 million compared to its predecessor and exceeding the box office receipts at the end. Cat Eye’s predictions are that the sequel will gross nearly $50 million at the end of its run.
Kung Fu Panda 4 Trailer
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Meanwhile, Taiwan’s black comedy-thriller Pigs, Snakes and Pigeons remains a strong performer, earning $6.8 million over the weekend and remaining in second place on the box office rankings, ahead of Dune 2. is leading. Since March 1st, the crime-themed film has grossed a total of $48.5 million.
As of Sunday, China’s annual box office revenue reached $2.24 billion, up 5% year-on-year.
The American blockbuster “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” scheduled for release on Friday, is drawing attention to whether Hollywood can reverse the trend of declining revenues in the Chinese market.
Source: hollywoodreporter
