LOS ANGELES 鈥 As Universal Pictures prepared for a big night at the Academy Awards with 鈥淥ppenheimer,鈥 the studio also celebrated the No. 1 debut of 鈥淜ung Fu Panda 4,鈥 which collected $58.3 million in domestic theaters over the weekend, according to estimates Sunday.
鈥淜ung Fu Panda 4,鈥 the first film in the DreamWorks Animation franchise since the third installment in 2016, got off to a better start than all but the 2008 original. That 鈥淜ung Fu Panda,鈥 which began the mystical adventures of Jack Black鈥檚 panda warrior Po, launched with $60.2 million.
Working in favor of 鈥淜ung Fu Panda 4": It's the first big family movie since "Migration" and 鈥淲onka鈥 hit theaters in December. 鈥淜ung Fu Panda 4" added $22 million internationally.
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The news was just as good for last week鈥檚 top film, 鈥淒une: Part Two.鈥 Denis Villeneuve鈥檚 sci-fi epic sequel held strongly in its second week, dropping a modest 44%. It grossed $46 million in its second week, bringing its domestic cumulative total to $157 million for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.
Riding strong reviews, great word-of-mouth and plenty of sand worms, "Dune: Part Two鈥 appears well set up for a long theatrical run. Most of Sunday's Oscar nominees have already moved on to home viewing platforms, but 鈥淒une" could wind up at next year's Academy Awards.
Opening in third place was the Lionsgate, Blumhouse horror release 鈥淚maginary," about a sinister teddy bear. It debuted with $10 million.
Following it was 鈥淐abrini,鈥 a portrait of the 19th century Catholic missionary Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (played by Cristiana Dell鈥橝nna). The film, released by the Christian-based company Angel Studios, the studio behind the 2023 surprise hit 鈥淪ound of Freedom,鈥 collected $7.5 million.
A24 also debuted the critically acclaimed neo-noir 鈥淟ove Lies Bleeding," starring Kristen Stewart, on five screens in New York and Los Angeles. It grossed $167,463 for a good per-screen average of $33,493.
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