‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Global Box Office Stretches Toward a Massive Milestone

The Big Picture

• Kung Fu Panda 4
  continues to perform solidly at the global box office, grossing $347 million worldwide, so far.
• Despite lower production costs, the film received weaker reviews compared to previous installments in the franchise.
• Kung Fu Panda 4
  is unlikely to catch up with the previous film, which grossed $521 million globally.

One glance at the top five films at this weekend’s global box office could confuse anybody into thinking that the summer is here. But despite the dominance of newcomer Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and holdover hit Dune: Part Two, Universal continued providing counter-programming in the form of Kung Fu Panda 4, which delivered yet another solid performance at the global box office after expanding its theatrical footprint.

Now in its fourth weekend of release, the animated sequel grossed $43 million overseas thanks to strong debuts in the U.K. and Ireland, in addition to adding approximately $10 million to its domestic total. Kung Fu Panda 4 has now grossed $151 million in domestic theaters, and an additional $195 million from overseas markets, for a cumulative global gross of $347 million. The movie will pass the $350 million milestone worldwide in a matter of days.

While it remains the lowest-grossing installment of the blockbuster franchise, Kung Fu Panda 4 overtook Kung Fu Panda 3 on the domestic front this weekend. Released in 2016, the third movie concluded its theatrical run with $143 million domestically and just over $520 million worldwide. This marked a significant decrease from the $600 million-plus totals that the first and second films had posted. The first Kung Fu Panda grossed $215 million domestically and $630 million worldwide in 2008, while Kung Fu Panda 2 hauled in $165 million domestically and over $660 million worldwide in 2011.

The ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Franchise Has Grossed Over $2 Billion Globally

This is the first time that Universal is distributing a Kung Fu Panda film — previous installments were distributed by Paramount and 20th Century Fox. The studio made sure to restrain the film’s budget, taking global box office trends into account. While the previous installments cost between $130 million and $150 million to produce, Kung Fu Panda 4 only cost a reported $85 million, which is in the same range as recent animated hits such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Trolls Band Together and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

But while the reduced production cost might have boosted profits, it didn’t impact reviews. Amid reports of behind-the-scenes turmoil, Kung Fu Panda 4 debuted to some of the weakest reviews in the series’ history, and currently sits at a 71% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, as compared to the 87%, 81%, and 86% scores of the first, second and third films, respectively. Featuring the voice talents of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, James Hong, and Ian McShane, alongside newcomers Awkwafina, Ke Huy Kwan, and Viola Davis, Kung Fu Panda 4 is playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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