In its second weekend, “Kung Fu Panda 4” from Universal and DreamWorks Animation kept its lead at the domestic box office. It brought in an impressive $30 million. Now, after being in theaters for 10 days, this animated family movie has made $107.7 million in North America and $176.5 million worldwide.
This performance easily outshone the opening of Mark Wahlberg’s dog drama, “Arthur the King,” which landed in third place. It debuted with a modest $7.5 million from 3,003 theaters, which was on the lower side of expectations. The production cost for this heartwarming tale about a man and a wounded stray dog was $19 million. Despite its lukewarm start and mixed reviews from critics (64% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences loved it, awarding it an “A” on CinemaScore.
David A. Gross from the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research commented on the film’s unique position. He noted, “It’s neither a family movie nor a comedy, and it doesn’t quite fit into the hard adventure category that fans of more intense entertainment usually go for. This makes it a challenging sell.”
Meanwhile, the satirical comedy “The American Society of Magical Negroes” by Focus Features didn’t fare as well, landing at the ninth spot. It earned just $1.25 million from 1,146 screens. With a lower screen count than most wide releases, its future doesn’t look promising, especially with a 30% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film, directed by first-timer Kobi Libii and featuring Justice Smith and David Alan Grier, tells the story of a young man recruited into an organization designed to assist white people.
“Dune: Part Two” secured a strong second place, adding $29 million from 3,847 locations in its third weekend. Its ticket sales dropped by only 37% from the previous weekend. The sci-fi sequel has now collected $205 million in North America and over $400 million globally. It’s on track to surpass its predecessor’s worldwide box office earnings of $433 million, despite the first film’s simultaneous release on HBO Max in the U.S. and Canada.
The Blumhouse thriller “Imaginary” from Lionsgate claimed fourth place, making $5.5 million from 3,118 theaters. In its second week, the horror movie about a woman haunted by her childhood teddy bear, Chauncey, has totaled $19 million. With a production budget of around $11 million, the film is doing well in its theatrical run.
Rounding out the top five is the faith-based biographical drama “Cabrini” from Angel Studio. It added $2.9 million from 2,850 theaters, bringing its domestic total to $13 million.
As of now, the domestic box office is trailing 9.6% behind 2023’s figures, according to Comscore. However, there’s hope for a turnaround with upcoming releases like Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” (March 22) and Warner Bros. and Legendary’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (March 29), which are expected to end the month on a high note.
Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Comscore, is optimistic. He believes, “‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ and ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ together could give a significant boost to the year-to-date box office. With some unexpected hits in April, we could see momentum building into what promises to be an exciting summer season for movie theaters.”