The winter box office is heating up with the release of Kung Fu Panda 4 by Universal/DreamWorks Animation this weekend. The sequel is tracking to open with a little more than $50 million on some 3,900 screens—the second-best showing ever for any property at DreamWorks Animation since Universal’s banner took over. The movie is attracting both male and female audiences under 25, with previews starting on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Legendary/Warner Bros’ “Dune: Part Two” was also riding a strong flight for their space epic, with the film registering a neat $8.1 million on Tuesday itself and hitting $100 million in six days. The IMAX number is looking at a strong presale drop for the second weekend. Other movie openings include Lionsgate’s horror PG-13 release “Imaginary,” a Blumhouse movie centered on a foreboding teddy bear that menaces a family.
It is opening this weekend at 3,128 theaters with no expectations, just as the title did not cost more than $10 million to make. Meanwhile, at Angel Studio is the biopic of a nun, Cabrini, from director Alejandro Monteverde, starring John Lithgow and David Morse. The film, which is already tracking very well with women 35 and older, could open in the mid-single digits to the $10 million range.
Overall, the box office will see quite a mix of movies, and this time, it only crows for a bright weekend.