The domestic box office received a nice shot in the arm this weekend thanks to Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune: Part Two, which helped propel business 13% over last year, per. DreamWorks Animation’s fourth entry in the long-running franchise featuring the voice of Jack Black got off to a hot start, earning $55 million in its debut week. This makes it the second-highest opening for Po and Co., trailing only the original Panda’s $60M opening in 2008.
Warner Bros./Legendary’s Dune: Part Two held remarkably well in its second weekend, dipping just 47% to earn $44M. Domestically, Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi adventure has accrued $154M, which already tops Dune: Part One’s $108M domestic total. Granted, that picture struggled with a day-and-date HBO Max release and faced Covid restrictions. Still, all signs point to the sequel finishing as an enormous success.
For all the talk about the dying moviegoing culture, how odd that audiences flock to theaters to view quality products. Coincidence? You be the judge.