‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Scores Biggest Animated Film Opening in China

The newest Kung Fu Panda film performed a bit lower than the opening weekends of the first and second installments of the franchise, but still came out relatively well.

This time, Kung Fu Panda 3 is on track for a better run than its predecessors, simply because it’ll have more time in theaters.

“Kung Fu Panda 3” received a strong “A” rating from first-night moviegoers on CinemaScore and got a good 80 percent approval rating from critics on Totten Tomatoes.

This image released by DreamWorks Animation shows character Mei…

Chinese netizens who caught the movie over the weekend mostly praised its visual effects, although several said they didn’t like the new film’s plot.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is still bringing audiences to the theater.

The sequel, which also features the voices of Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, and Kate Hudson, has debuted at number one with an impressive $41 million (GBP28.8 million), according to studio estimates.

“Kung Fu Panda” will not be included in China’s 34-film annual quota for US-made films because it was co-produced in the country. After six weeks in limited and wide release, the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring survival drama has raked in an estimated $138.2 million.

Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens came in No. 4 with an estimated $10.8 million as it approaches the $900 million mark in North America and $2 billion globally.

Finest Hours opened to roughly $10.1-M from 3,143 locations, a disappointing start.

The “Fifty Shades of Grey” parody “Fifty Shades of Black” earned around $6.2 million, but it only cost a reported $5 million to produce, while The Weinstein Company’s Natalie Portman-led Western “Jane Got a Gun” misfired out of the gates, bringing in less than $1 million on a $25 million budget.

With its status as a co-production, China Film Insider speculates that it could easily surpass The Monkey King: Hero is Back (US$152m) as China’s highest-grossing animated film of all time.