Kung Fu Panda 3 tops box office rankings at RM170 million

And even with such a solid opening in the states, “Kung Fu Panda 3” saw its best numbers in China, where the film reportedly brought in $57 million in its debut. Leonardo DiCaprio’s “The Revenant” won the frame with only US$16 million in its third weekend of wide release.

“Kung Fu Panda 3” showed plenty of power at the USA box office with a solid opening weekend of $41 million at 3,955 theaters as the durable family franchise dominated moviegoing. The movie, a rare release from Disney that does not rely on synergy with other parts of the company’s entertainment empire, was most popular with older ticket buyers.

It’s the first “Kung Fu Panda” installment to open in January instead of the summertime.

The battling bear toon’s first day box office was second among animated films only to the 116.6 million RMB (17.6 million dollars) earned by Illumination’s Minions last September. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was third with $10.8 million and looks to pass $900 million domestically this week.

Kung Fu Panda 3 is set in China with the film’s lead Po, played by Jack Black, meeting his biological father before confronting an evil supernatural warrior. “We want it to feel like a completed journey, and we feel this movie (Kung Fu Panda 3) does (offer a firm conclusion)”.

The news wasn’t as rosy for Disney’s other film in the marketplace: the drama The Finest Hours, which ran aground in fourth place with a weak $10.3 million from 3,143 theaters.

Internationally, the film brought in an estimated $75 million during its opening weekend in five territories including China and Korea, according to 20th Century Fox. Natalie Portman’s latest offering Jane Got a Gun opened in more than 1,000 venues but made less than $1,000 per screen, leaving it without sufficient box office steam to break into the top ten. It made $1.14 million between Friday and Sunday, for a total of $5.67 million after two weekends on release. The film now has a total domestic gross of $139 million, a big thanks to that being the Oscar hype around it. “The Force Awakens” added $10.9 million at the box office, and is now sitting at $895.4 million in domestic box office revenue.