‘Kung Fu Panda 4,' 'Dune 2’ continue atop weekend box office

‘Kung Fu Panda 4,’ ‘Dune: Part Two’ continue atop box office as ‘Arthur the King’ lags

The animated panda Po shrugs with a sheepish grin

By LINDSEY BAHR

March 17, 2024 10:18 AM PT

“Kung Fu Panda 4 ” stayed at the top of the North American box office in its second weekend in theaters. The Universal and DreamWorks Animation movie earned $30 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The franchise featuring the voice of Jack Black is responsible for more than $1.9 billion at the box office since it launched in 2008 and has spawned several animated series, shorts, video games and a holiday special. The fourth installment, playing in 4,067 locations in North America, has already made $107.7 million domestically.

There were several new movies arriving in 1,000-plus theaters this weekend, including Lionsgate’s Mark Wahlberg dog movie “Arthur the King” and Focus Features’ comedic satire “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” while A24’s Kristen Stewart-led bodybuilding thriller “Love Lies Bleeding” expanded.

But the charts still belonged to the franchises, including “Dune: Part Two,” which came in a very close second in its third weekend, with $29.1 million. That’s down only 37% from last weekend. It’s now made $205.3 million domestically. The first film, which was released simultaneously in theaters and on streaming, capped out at around $435 million globally, while “Part Two” is already nearing $500 million worldwide.

“Arthur the King” led the newcomers, landing in third place with $7.5 million from 3,003 locations. The studio went into the weekend expecting something in the $8 million to $10 million range. Its low production cost and international presales should yield profits. Directed by Simon Cellan Jones and written by Michael Brandt, the movie is based on the true story of an adventure racer who befriends a stray dog on a perilous 435-mile trek in the Dominican Republic. Simu Liu plays one of Wahlberg’s teammates. With an A CinemaScore, the studio is hoping positive word-of-mouth will boost ticket sales in the coming weeks.

“Love Lies Bleeding ” expanded to 1,362 locations for $2.5 million. Written and directed by Rose Glass (”Saint Maud ″), it’s a pulpy, ’80s-set erotic thriller about an isolated gym manager (Stewart) and a bodybuilder (Katy O’Brian) passing through town.

“The American Society of Magical Negroes” opened in 1,147 theaters and made an estimated $1.3 million. According to exit data, 52% of the opening weekend audience was Black. The movie, written and directed by Kobi Libii, is a satire about a secret society of Black people dedicated to making white lives easier. Justice Smith and David Alan Grier star.

In the first weekend following the Oscars, “Poor Things ” added $2.3 million globally, bumping its total to $112.6 million.

Next weekend, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” arrives in theaters, armed with proton packs and brand name recognition.

“When there’s not a newcomer dominating the marketplace, it makes for a rather slow weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “Now we’re just waiting for ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ and ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.’ That combo should take us out of the month of March on a high note.”

He added: “We’re going to have to have a lot of patience until we get to May and ‘The Fall Guy’ and the summer movie season. But there’s some great movies on the way.”

Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $30 million.

2. “Dune: Part Two,” $29.1 million

3. “Arthur the King,” $7.5 million.

4. “Imaginary,” $5.6 million.

5. “Cabrini, ”$2.8 million.

6. “Love Lies Bleeding,” $2.5 million.

7. “Bob Marley: One Love,” $2.3 million.

8. “One Life,” $1.7 million

9. “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” $1.3 million

10. “Ordinary Angels,” $1 million

Bahr writes for the Associated Press.