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After a tough six months, the South Korea box office has received a boost as My Daughter Is A Zombie scored the biggest opening weekend of the year to date.

The local comedy-drama took $8.3m from 1.17 million admissions from August 1-3, according to Korean Film Council (Kofic) tracking service Kobis. It has earned $12.5m from 1.87 million admissions since it opened on July 30.

It marks the highest opening weekend figures for a film in South Korea so far this year, topping the $7.12m made by Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 in February and the $5.64m taken by Jurassic World Rebirth when it opened last month.

The Evangelists might be the so-called bad guys in Fire Force‘s storyline, but still, each member in their organization is pretty cool in some sense. Haumea being the mastermind (as it seems), Sister Sumire’s dark truth, Sho’s tragic past, and even the other Pillars are somewhat okay to get by with. However, there’s one character whom it’s impossible not to hate.

No matter how the plot tries to convince us, it never sits well to just say Inca is crazy for thrills. Of course, there’s her past that we saw previously that made everyone’s blood boil, but that’s not all. The person she’s truly becoming with each episode is getting more and more unbearable to watch. And the sad part is that there’s no sign of her getting better.

Inca’s presence makes it hard to watch Fire Force!

Whenever Inca comes on screen,...

Sunday Am Writethru: Refresh for updates… It’s the 15th weekend of the box office year, and only the fourth to exceed $100M+ for all titles. The industry needs to cherish this.

True, Warner Bros/Legendary’s A Minecraft Movie is delivering 52% of the $153M frame, still an $80.6M second weekend, but we can’t imagine that any exhibitor is complaining about the diversity or the amount of product in the marketplace. With an $80M second weekend, that’s the 16th best second weekend ever for a movie, and the second best second weekend for a videogame movie after Super Mario Bros’ ($92.3M). Some rivals believe the domestic endgame for Minecraft Movie is close to a half billion; Super Mario Bros got to $574.9M. Global running cume is $550.6M.

A funny note about cinemas getting trashed: None of the three top circuits would issue statements that such chaos was going on.

Stars: Jackie Chan, Wei Xiang, Han Yanbo, Temur Mamisashvili, Shi Ce | Written by Meng Yida, Xu Wei | Directed by Zhang Luan

Directed by Zhang Luan, Panda Plan is the latest vehicle for international action superstar Jackie Chan, who, at 70 years old, continues to defy the physical limitations of age (and science) with his trademark blend of martial arts and slapstick comedy. The film sees Chan playing a more animated version of himself with a meta twist that both celebrates and gently mocks his decades-long career. The premise is simple yet absurd. Jackie, the beloved movie star, adopts a rare baby panda named Hu Hu at a zoo, only to find himself embroiled in a rescue mission when mercenaries attempt to kidnap the dodgy CGI critter for a mysterious Middle Eastern client.

The film starts with a self-aware action sequence, a chaotic shootout in a church that’s revealed to be...

Much adored by the people of the Far East Film Festival, who over the years have applauded the two “Thermae Romae” and “Fly Me to the Saitama”, Takeuchi Hideki will therefore return to Udine to present “Cells at Work!” a colossal triumph of creative freedom and, currently, the phenomenon of the Japanese box office. A hilarious and flamboyant, adventurous and, at times, moving live action, produced by Warner Bros. Japan and set “inside” a student and her widowed father. Indeed: inside, without quotes, because the true superstars of Cells at Work! they are the 37 trillion cells that make their vital system work! In particular, a female red blood cell (Nagano Mei) and a male white blood cell (the star Satoh Takeru), ready to fight against any pathogen and, perhaps, also ready to fall in love…

On the occasion of announcing “Cells at Work!” as the very first title of the 2025 line-up,...

Many readers criticize that the last stretch of Jujutsu Kaisen manga was rushed and didn’t finish developing many storylines. Because of this, with the release of Jujutsu Kaisen's volume 30, the author, Gege Akutami, included a new epilogue that served to showcase what happens to some of the characters after the end of the manga. But there was one segment in the epilogue that caused division among fans, Panda’s ending after the Jujutsu Kaisen main story.

One of the criticisms from fans in Jujutsu Kaisen’s epilogue was that Panda was left abandoned in a storehouse by his friend Yuta Okkotsu, only being able to wake up occasionally, which is a sad ending to his character, proving that the cursed corpse storyline in the manga was pointless. However, a theory about Jujutsu Kaisen's epilogue may debunk that Panda’s fate was meaningless.

Panda’s Ending in Jujutsu Kaisen...

Panda Bear is back with “Ferry Lady,” the latest new song off his upcoming album Sinister Grift.

Built on a buoyant groove, “Ferry Lady” boasts some warm acoustic guitar, psychedelic synth hits, and spacious vocals from Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear). His ascending melodies in the chorus are doubled with a sweet high harmony, eventually building to a choir-like high sung in his falsetto; meanwhile, the track’s synth-based backdrop becomes more engrossing and frenetic.

Get Panda Bear Tickets Here

“Ferry Lady” also arrives with a particularly uncanny music video directed by Danny Perez. The visual features a variety of faces constantly rotating, with some more jarring than the others — certain faces have slugs, claws, snails, gaping mouths, or otherwise striking makeup looks, and they cycle at such a fast rate that it all blends into a bizarre collage. It’s unknown if Perez used AI to craft the video’s subjects,...

The following contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen now available in English from Viz.

Volume 30 of Gege Akutami's worldwide phenomenon, Jujutsu Kaisen, tells the story of the world of Jujutsu sorcery and how it was greatly changed after Yuji Itadori ingested the cursed finger of Ryomen Sukuna. Starting in 2018, the series ran for six years and amassed a diverse and loyal fanbase. At the end of its run with chapter 271, fans were left wondering if this was truly the end of Jujutsu Kaisen or if there would be some continuation of the series.

That answer was revealed to be that there'd be no continuation of Jujutsu Kaisen. However, Akutami gave fans an epilogue chapter detailing events before and after the series started in 2018. However, in Jujutsu Kaisen fashion, this epilogue isn't told traditionally, instead focusing on key moments Akutami wanted to portray to detail the state of both the themes...

2024 was a sad year for Jujutsu Kaisen fans as the manga series finally bid farewell and reached its conclusion by bringing an end to an extremely interesting story. However, the ending was not at all what fans expected, and thus, there was some disappointment with it. It felt a little rushed, and many character plots were left unresolved, which certainly was not good.

Jujutsu Kaisen | Credit: Mappa Studios

But to tackle this problem, Gege Akutami has decided to add some extra pages to the final volume of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga that will focus on certain characters from the series. The only problem is that the characters that will be focused on are not so important to the central storyline of the series. Thus, fans don’t care about them making the extra pages obsolete.

When fans got to know about the extra pages, they were excited, but this excitement...

Sam and Ash find themselves embarking on an unexpected creative and investigative journey. The two young documentary filmmakers come across intriguing footage showing a local graffiti artist named Emily mysteriously vanishing through a strange door standing alone in an abandoned building. Intrigued by this puzzling clip and hoping it might provide the breakthrough story their careers have been missing, they set out on a quest to solve the enigma.

Their adventure leads them to acquire the peculiar portal itself, transporting it to Ash’s flat for further study. Initial experiments reveal the doorway’s incredible ability to open onto entirely different realms, the landscapes within influenced by the thoughts of the opener.

With Sam and Ash’s interests captivated by each bizarre new dimension exposed, they expand their operation. Joining forces with academic Innis, the trio dedicate themselves to thoroughly exploring the door’s full potential and learning its true nature.

Paris-based production and distribution company Superprod Group has acquired a majority stake in leading French animation company Watch Next Media, in a move that will consolidate both their positions in the animation sector.

Under the partnership, Watch Next Media will continue to operate independently with CEO and founder Philippe Alessandri at the helm. At the same time, his company will benefit from Superprod’s expertise in premium CGI animation as well as wider financing opportunities and access to a larger talent pool.

Created by French execs Clément Calvet and Jérémie Fajner in 2010, Superprod has been on an expansion streak in recent months.

The company acquired top Luxembourgish animation companies Studio 352 and Mélusine Productions in April and then went on to join forces with former Netflix Emea Head of Animated Series Alexi Wheeler on new UK-based company Wheels In Motion in June.

Further partner companies include Milano-based Red Monk Studio...

Okaimono Panda! (“Shopping Panda!”), an upcoming anime inspired by the official mascot character for the Rakuten e-commerce firm, has revealed a new piece of key art (below) and a new TV spot advertising the series. The series will broadcast in Japan beginning on November 6, 2024. Related: Okaimono Panda! TV Anime Reveals New Trailer & Cast Members Shinji Takamatsu directs the Okaimono Panda! TV anime at animation studio Shin-ei Animation Co., Ltd., while Higashi Shimizu provides the series composition and Yasue Sosogi provides the character designs. Voice actor Ikue Otani, who provides the voice of Okaimono Panda in TV commercials, will reprise her role for the TV anime. The story of the series follows the fun daily adventures of Okaimono Panda and friends, in which Okaimono Panda's shopping sprees always turn into a chaotic commotion! Source: Okaimono Panda! on X (formerly Twitter)...

San Sebastian — In bumper deals, premier French production-sales agency Playtime has secured a raft of sales across key territories for François Ozon’s “When Fall Is Coming,” which bows in San Sebastian’s main Competition.

Distribution so far takes in major territories such as Italy (Bim Distribuzione), Cis (A-One Russia), Spain (Caramel + La Zona), and Axia in Canada.

Playtime has cut further deals with Vertigo Media in Hungary, September Films in Benelux, Panda in Austria, Aurora in Poland, Filmcoopi in Switzerland, A-One Baltics, Outsider Film in Portugal, Filmtrade in Greece, Beta Films in Bulgaria, and Arthouse Traffic in Ukraine.

The pre-sales come on a film whose complex story is seemingly told effortlessly.

Perhaps it’s the moment two elderly friends, Michelle and Marie-Claude, leave the woods with wild mushrooms and laugh when Marie-Claude tells her friend to let her know how it goes. Perhaps it’s when we see Michelle...

In her 1987 “An Autumn’s Tale”, Second Wave Hong Kong director Mabel Cheung draws from her experience as a student in New York and revisits the American Dream, through the eyes of a female protagonist, Jenny (Cherie Chung), who is building her life and identity, juggling between societal expectations and individual desires. Her co-lead Samuel (Chow Yun-fat), is a young man with a rough-around-the-edges charm and survivalist instincts, most likely inspired by the resilient immigrant spirit Cheung encountered in New York’s Chinatown. Under a rom-com façade, the film discloses many thought-provoking layers about migration, cultural displacement, identity, and the fragility of human connections.

In a scene midway through the narrative, Samuel visits Jenny at an upscale Chinese restaurant in Chinatown called Big Panda, where she works. The restaurant’s owner is a sleazy figure, with his gaze lingering inappropriately on Jenny’s youthful, slender figure. Samuel, eager to impress Jenny,...

This List contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen's anime and manga

Jujutsu Kaisen follows Yuji Itadori and his friends at Tokyo Jujutsu High as they learn to wield cursed energy and protect humanity, and the series blends intense battles and rich-world building during these intense supernatural adventures. One of the sorcerers that join Yuji at his school is Panda, an unusual yet lovable character who is an incredible combatant. Panda, despite his appearance, is not an ordinary animal but a Cursed Corpse an artificial being created by Principal Masamichi Yaga.

His unique nature and ability to think and feel like a human make him one of the most intriguing characters in Jujutsu Kaisen, and the fact that he has the raw power of a huge animal makes him a force to be reckoned with. While much of the show focuses on Yuji's quest to find the demon Sukuna's fingers, Panda...

John Stevenson and Mike Osborne's 2008 film "Kung Fu Panda," on its most basic level, serves as a spoof of a certain type of martial arts film made in Hong Kong in the 1970s. Many of the tropes of martial arts cinema infiltrated American cinemas in the 1990s and 2000s thanks to the stateside releases of Jackie Chan's Hong Kong movies, the success of the wuxia film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and the constant bolstering of the genre by mega-fan Quentin Tarantino.

By 2008, so many American filmmakers had borrowed from Hong King cinema (including Tarantino himself with his "Kill Bill" movies), that even small children could recreate their tropes and clichés on the playground. Every kid could spot the characters: ancient wizened masters, a team of martial arts monks, and a feisty young comedic hotshot who seems ill-equipped for the asceticism of kung fu, but ultimately proves to be a champion.

With the passing of time, the generational legacy of Black Myth: Wukong is ready to be reexamined. A product of ancient histories and the Chinese classics, the history of the Sun Wukong or Monkey King needs to be brought front and center too. And who better to do so than Jackie Chan himself?

Jackie Chan (R) in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) [Credit: Lionsgate Films]

The Hong Kong martial arts star has been in the industry long enough to be revered as a mythical god-like figure. However, one of the many injustices of Hollywood is that the actor was merely reduced to a supporting character in an animated movie and for a negligible scope of screen time.

With the rise in the success of Black Myth: Wukong, it is finally time that DreamWorks studio reanalyzed its standing and gave Jackie Chan and his reimagined avatar of Sun Wukong in Master Monkey a fully sanctioned spin-off movie or series.

32 years after the original anime ended, and 28 years after the manga wrapped up, Ranma 1/2 is finally getting a full-blown remake. Though new series was announced on June 25, 2024, with some awesome renders of the characters' new designs, fans had to wait a while longer to get the first look at the show proper. Headed by Studio Mappa, makers of Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, the new Ranma 1/2 series looks to be a fun and faithful adaptation of legendary mangaka Rumiko Takahashi's work.

The new series is the latest in a resurgence of adaptations of Takahashi's work. Mappa's Ranma comes hot off the heels of Yashahime, a sequel spin-off to InuYasha released in 2020, and 2022's Urusei Yatsura produced by David Productions. Ranma 1/2 has been due for the remake treatment for a while now. It's one of the most successful manga of all time, selling over 55 million copies.

Exclusive: Former Netflix Emea Head of Animated Series Alexi Wheeler is launching UK-based production company Wheel In Motion under the auspices of burgeoning French content conglomerate Superprod Group.

The new company will develop new shows and movies targeting diverse audiences, in both animation and live-action genres.

The partnership was announced against the backdrop of France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, running from June 9 to 15, where Superprod Group will be out in force at the event’s MIFA market and Wheeler will also be in attendance.

Wheeler spent five years at Netflix Emea, first in the role of director of kids and family content, and then as head of animated series.

While there, he supported a range of projects from Aardman’s Oscar-nominated short film Robin Robin to series such as coming-of-age rom-com Heartstopper and animated shows The Last Bus, Big Tree City and Sharkdog.

Prior to Netflix, Wheeler served...

The Memorial Day Weekend we’d all like to forget: Any claims to #1 are premature. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (Warner Bros.) and “The Garfield Movie” (Sony) are in a battle for #1 for the four-day holiday, but each only estimates around $25 million for Friday to Sunday. (“Furiosa” is ahead.)

This is a holiday release date often chosen for a film that’s expected to be among the top three of the year. Unadjusted, neither “Furiosa” nor “Garfield” would be among the top 50 openers historically for this particular weekend; adjusting to current ticket prices, not even the top 100.

Current estimates for the four-day weekend are $101 million, but the crisis lies in the whole month. May is supposed to kick off summer and it has failed. It confirms that post- “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” box-office depression has no end in sight.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’Courtesy of Paramount / Everett Collection

Like last year’s “Top Gun: Maverick,...

Before becoming one of the co-founders of Studio Ghibli, Oscar Award-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki collaborated with director Isao Takahata to make Panda! Go Panda! -- an anime film about a little girl and her unusual adopted family. Now, Ghibli is honoring Miyazaki's classic with a new collection of adorable panda-themed office products.

Studio Ghibli's online storefront, Donguri Sora, recently added separate listings for each item in the collection, which consists of pen pouches, notepads and memo clips. Each item features a cute illustration of "Papa Panda" (or "Papanda") and his cub "Pan-chan" engaging in a variety of fun activities, such as blowing bubbles, drawing or playing with blocks. Each of the notepads is roughly 7cm x 7cm and contains 20 small sticky notes. In addition to being decorative, the memo clips can be used to hold the notes upright on a table or a desk. The pen pouches are each about...

Exclusive: DreamWorks Animation/Universal’s Kung Fu Panda 4 crossed the $500M mark globally this past weekend, reaching the milestone on a staggered release pattern that has worked well for the partners in the past (think Puss in Boots: The Last Wish). Through Wednesday, it’s at $324M international box office and $509M worldwide.

Directed by Mike Mitchell (and co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine), the fourquel arrived eight years after the third installment of the franchise that began in 2008 and is the first of the series released by Universal after the studio acquired Dwa in 2016. All told thus far, the series has grossed $2.328B, the No .2 highest-grossing Dwa franchise behind Shrek.

KFP4, which has done gangbusters in Mexico ($35.6M through Wednesday) and logged the biggest April animation opening of all time in Korea, is poised to become the third-highest-grossing film of the bunch. Although if comping to current exchange rates...

Who Are the Characters in Enter the Garden? All Known Characters So Far - Main Image

Will you enter the garden? If so, prepare to enter a completely new world in which everything seems perfect and possible. Following the first episode, who are the characters in Enter the Garden? Here's everything we know so far.

What Is Enter the Garden About?

According to Azuki's official website, Enter the Garden is a three-part anime anthology series created by Azuki and Dentsu, the company behind the popular Nft project AzukiTM.

Goro Taniguchi, the director of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection, One Piece Film: Red, ID-0, and GUNxSWORD, among other works, is producing this three-part anime series.

The first episode of Enter the Garden, titled The Waiting Man, was released on April 30, 2024, on Azuki's official website and YouTube channel.

Junichi Yamamoto (3D animation for your name) directed the first episode, which featured...

“Kung Fu Panda 4” (Universal) debuted on PVOD to #1 April 9, which it has enjoyed for a week; that will end with “Dune: Part 2” (Warner Bros.), which debuts today after 46 days in release.

Both films still are in the box office Top 10. “Panda” actually rose one position to #4 this weekend, with its 29 percent drop the lowest of any holdover on the list. It still has a shot at a $200 million domestic gross. “Dune 2,” which was #5 this weekend and will get close to $300 million, will likely minimize the impact of parallel home availability given its essential visual presentation.

Based on presales, “Dune 2” is already #6 on iTunes top 10 list (ranked by transactions). Other platforms stick to currently available titles, but it would be surprising if it’s not immediately #1 on both iTunes and Fandango.

“Panda” debuted at #1 on both charts (Fandango lists by revenue earned). Fandango also lists a bundle...

Kung Fu Panda Franchise Ranked As Per Budget: The 4th Installment Has The Lowest Budget In The Lot ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

The Kung Fu Panda franchise released their fourth installment last month, and it is doing quite well at the box office. It has recently crossed an important milestone. The animated film franchise has been a tremendous commercial success, and people love seeing their adorable Po the Panda fight bad guys on the big screen. It takes a lot to bring to life the characters on screen. Let us take a look at the budget of the four films here.

The first film in the franchise came out in 2008, and the movie has earned more than $2 billion globally. Jack Black voices the giant panda, and the ensemble cast includes Angelina Jolie as Master Tigress, Seth Rogan as Master Mantis, Lucy Liu voices Master Crane, Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, Jackie Chan...

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire easily took the top spot this weekend at the box office, posting a much stronger-than-expected $31.7 million second weekend. We predicted about $25 million, so this is a significantly more extensive haul than expected for the MonsterVerse sequel, with it falling about 60% in week 2. That’s decent for a tentpole blockbuster like this. Everyone assumed the movie would be front-loaded, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, with it now on its way to at least a $200 million domestic haul – maybe more.

However, Godzilla and Kong’s good fortune at the multiplex spelled doom for two new genre titles – Monkey Man and The First Omen, both of which were gunning for some of that movie’s audience. Of the two, Monkey Man’s $10.1 million haul isn’t half bad if you consider that Universal picked it up for only about $10 million after Netflix opted to dump it.

Panda survived the brutal encounter thanks to his three cores: Panda, Gorilla, and Triceratops. Panda is powered by cursed energy and can self-resurrect, despite two cores being extinguished. Despite losing two cores, Panda's survival remains a unique and strange aspect of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Jujutsu Kaisen's Panda ran into bad luck during the Culling Game when he encountered Hajime Kashimo and all that was left of him was his severed head propped on the end of Kashimo's staff. While Panda was still living at that moment, it was a gruesome scene that left little room for Panda's survival. Fortunately, a subsequent chapter of the hit series revealed Panda's miraculous survival.

As a friend and classmate of Megumi Fushiguro, it was not hard for Panda to volunteer his support to enter the Culling Gama in order to rescue Megumi's sister and find Angel to free Gojo from the Prison Realm.

Kung Fu Panda 4 surpasses previous film at the domestic box office with $153 million gross. The cast includes returning Jack Black and Viola Davis, creating a hit with high audience ratings. Director Mike Mitchell discusses 8-year journey to perfect Po's evolving story, prioritizing quality.

Kung Fu Panda 4 has beat out its predecessor in the domestic box office. According to BoxOfficeMojo, Kung Fu Panda 4 has now grossed $153 million (compared to Kung Fu Panda 3's $143.5 million in the United States and Canada). The 2024 sequel is nearing the $350 million mark globally, but that number falls short of the previous film, which brought in $521.2 million worldwide. Kung Fu Panda 4 is currently the lowest-grossing film in the series on a global level.

Kung Fu Panda 4 AnimationActionAdventure 3/5 Release DateMarch 8, 2024DirectorMike Mitchell, Stephanie StineCastJack Black, Ke Huy Quan, Bryan Cranston, Awkwafina, Jackie Chan, Viola Davis, Ian McShane, Dustin Hoffman, James HongMain GenreAnimationWritersJonathan Aibel,...

With “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.), March came in like a lion. With “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (also Warner Bros.), March is going out, well, as a lion. Leave the lamb for Easter dinner.

With an estimated $80 million (actual totals may be higher), Legendary Entertainment’s second big franchise sequel this month falls just shy of the $82 million debut for “Dune 2.” Warner Bros. now looks near certain to have three $200 million and over films since December — the only distributor to achieve that since July.

This could be the best weekend of the year so far, with a tentative estimate of $136.4 million. That includes four films over $10 million, the first time that’s happened this year. All told, this boosted the 2024 year to date; we’re now down by only six percent.

With “Godzilla x Kong,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Kung Fu Panda 4” (Universal) and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” (Sony) all opening over $40 million,...

Easter Weekend proved to be absolutely gigantic for WB and Legendary’s MonsterVerse, with the fifth film in the franchise (which we ranked here), Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, grossing a massive $80 million domestically. While it was no doubt propelled by the holiday weekend (tomorrow’s grosses should be huge), it can’t be denied that the movie opened way beyond even the most optimistic expectations. Industry estimates (ours included) expected the film to open in the $50 million-ish range, but despite mixed reviews, the movie grossed about $30 million more than anyone expected.

While this is only the second largest MonsterVerse opening weekend (Godzilla made $93 million in 2014), this is considered a massive win for Warner Bros. To compare things, the last MonsterVerse movie, Godzilla Vs Kong, only opened to $30 million. Granted, that was at the height of the pandemic, and the movie was on the day and date on HBO Max,...

Some movie stars don’t lose their luster. A 90-year-old ape and a 69-year-old reptile are taking over domestic charts this weekend, as Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” scored $37 million from 3,861 venues across opening day and preview screenings. It’s an impressive debut that puts the monster-mash well ahead of the pace that was projected earlier this week, which had pegged an opening just north of $50 million.

“The New Empire” cost a substantial sum of $135 million to produce, but it’s getting off on the right, gigantic foot. Reviews have been mediocre — a notch down from the fairly positively received “Godzilla vs. Kong” in 2021 and way below the euphoric praise that the Japanese production “Godzilla Minus One” earned just three months ago. Nonetheless, audiences aren’t being swayed. The kaiju team-up seems to be playing well to crowds, after earning an “A-” grade from research firm Cinema Score.

Kung Fu Panda 4 barely beats Dune: Part Two to retain the top spot at the domestic box office over the weekend. Mark Wahlberg's Arthur the King debuts at No. 3, while fellow newcomers One Life and The American Society of Magical Negroes both land Top 10 spots. Director Jang Jae-hyun’s supernatural horror film, Exhuma, boasts this weekend's highest per-theater average.

Kung Fu Panda 4 just squeaks by Dune: Part Two en route to winning the weekend box office. After a very slow January and February to kick off 2024, things are heating up in March. And according to the estimates, Jack Black’s return as Master Po Ping will repeat as the No. 1 movie in domestic theaters for the second weekend in a row. But it was an extremely close race.

Kung Fu Panda 4 AnimationActionAdventure 3/5 Release DateMarch 8, 2024DirectorMike Mitchell, Stephanie StineCastJack Black, Ke Huy Quan, Bryan Cranston, Awkwafina, Jackie Chan,...

“Kung Fu Panda 4” (Universal) and “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) came in a close #1-#2 this weekend, with the DreamWorks Animation title edging out Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi adaptation by just under $1 million ($30 million to $29.1 million). The two films, in their second and third weekends respectively, are positioned to exceed their most optimistic pre-release projections.

Going against last year’s trend of disappointing franchise results, the two sequels made up about two thirds of the weekend’s $90 million total. With little help from other new releases, this fell just short of last year’s $92 million. It reduced the year’s deficit to nine percent.

“Dune” joined WB’s “Wonka” as the second film to pass the domestic $200 million total since last July. By next weekend, it will surpass that film’s $218 million gross.

How high could it go? Pre-release, the most optimistic hopes were perhaps $250 million — $150 million more than the first “Dune,...

The early weekend box office numbers are in, and it looks like Dune: Part Two wasn’t quite able to take the number one spot from Kung Fu Panda 4 after all. It was very close, with the animated sequel grossing $30 million to Dune’s $29.1 million. It’s so close that I’m not quite willing to admit my prediction that Dune 2 would top Panda was wrong, as Denis Villeneuve’s sequel has been overperforming at Sunday matinees the last few weeks. That said, even if it doesn’t top Panda, it still had a great weekend, with it only dropping a modest 37% in its third week. It also passed the double-century mark, with its final gross at $205 million. Will it cross $300 million? It’s possible, although it will face heavy competition over the next two weeks with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Godzilla x Kong.

Meanwhile, Kung Fu Panda 4...

In this week’s Box Office Predictions column, I went against the grain of what box office gurus were predicting. They seemed to think Kung Fu Panda 4 would have an easy win over Dune: Part Two, but I had a feeling audiences were really starting to love Villeneuve’s film, with some returning to see it a second or third time. Thus, I predicted Dune 2 would return to first place. While it’s too early for me to brag about being right, it seems both movies are in a dead-heat battle for number 1.

According to Deadline’s early numbers, the final tally for both is too close to call, with Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune 2 heading towards a $27-30 million weekend finish. Panda is looking to dip somewhere in the area of 48% in its second weekend, while Dune is only dropping 35% in its third weekend. Villeneuve...

Thanks to the combined heft of “Kung Fu Panda 4” (Universal) and “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.), domestic box office improved over the same 2023 weekend for the first time. And it did so with two films grossing over $40 million, not seen since last July when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” did so for their parallel first two weeks.

Not only did #1 “Panda” exceed expectations with $58.3 million, but the “Dune” sequel, with $46 million, dropped only 44 percent from its excellent debut. Notably, that was about the same decrease seen by “Oppenheimer” its second weekend after a nearly identical initial gross. Also significant is that sequels traditionally drop more in their second weeks than original titles.

Meantime, A24 had its second consecutive strong platform debut, with “Love Lies Bleeding” with Kristen Stewart grossing $167,000 in five New York/Los Angeles locations. That bests last week’s “Problemista.” The latter film expanded to 20 theaters this week, with...

Universal and DreamWork’s animated adventure “Kung Fu Panda 4” topped the domestic box office, earning a solid $58.3 million from 4,035 theaters in its opening weekend.

It marks the biggest debut of the franchise since the original, 2008’s “Kung Fu Panda” ($60 million), overtaking the start of the two prior entries, 2016’s “Kung Fu Panda 3” ($41 million) and 2011’s “Kung Fu Panda 2” ($47.6 million), not adjusted for inflation.

“Family audiences were primed to come out and have fun with a much-beloved franchise,” says Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “Animated movies tend to leg out. We anticipate a tremendous corridor.”

Internationally, the fourth film in the martial arts-inspired animated comedy collected $22 million from 41 markets for a global tally of $80 million. This installment cost $85 million to produce, a lower price tag than the first three movies, each of which cost about $150 million. Jack Black returned to voice the main character in “Kung Fu Panda 4,...

It’s looking like Kung Fu Panda is about to K’O Dune: Part Two at the box office – for this weekend anyway – with the Dreamworks sequel on its way to the highest-grossing weekend of the franchise since the original film in 2008. Indeed, Kung Fu Panda 4 is set to open way beyond our expectations, with Deadline’s early numbers predicting a potential $55 million opening in the cards. Dune: Part Two slips to second place with about $44 million on the books. While Panda will be this weekend’s champ, Dune is the real winner in many ways. Consider this – the film posted a huge $82 million opening last weekend and has only posted a 47% week-to-week drop, which is exceedingly rare for a tentpole movie. In just a week, the movie has already beaten the lifetime gross of the first film at the domestic box office (although we should remember that it opened during the pandemic).

Overall,...

For the first time since July with “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” there should be two films with grosses over $40 million this weekend — with a chance both might be over $50 million.

“Kung Fu Panda 4” (Universal), despite getting a tiny fraction of the online hype that “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) got before its opening and terrific start, could sell as many tickets worldwide — and end up an even more profitable project.

Most important, potentially two major grossers at the same time come just in time for struggling theaters, and as a needed reminder to studios about theatrical bounty. And it’s not in a vacuum, either. This week also sees “Cabrini” (Angel Studios) and “Imaginary” (Lionsgate), with big franchise entries “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” (Sony) and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (Warner Bros.) coming later this month.

The new “Dune” just passed the $100 million domestic mark, the first 2024 release to do so.

Kung Fu Panda 4 Box Office To Kill Dune 2 This Weekend ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

Mike Mitchell’s Kung Fu Panda 4 is set to release on March 8 in the US, and the film has been getting rave reviews after it premiered at the AMC 14 Theater at The Grove in Los Angeles. And it seems like Po the Giant Panda, voiced by Jack Black, is all set to surpass Timothee Chalamet & Zendaya’s Dune 2 at the box office with a $50 million target.

Dune 2’s Opening Weekend

Denis Villeneuve’s film earned $82.5 million on its opening weekend. The film initially started with $12 million on Thursday with previews. These numbers have been the biggest since 2023’s Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Dune 2’s Expected Second Weekend

Timothee Chalamet & Zendaya‘s film is said to bring another $40 million to $45 million in its second weekend. Audiences are already rooting for the film for a rare film,...

Image: DreamWorks Animation Throughout the course of the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, we’ve seen dim-witted, dumpling-obsessed panda Po (voiced by Jack Black) transform from a bumbling, underestimated rube into an insightful, self-confident warrior—a Dragon Master, to be exact. He’s found his chi, taken a journey of self-discovery,...

Image: DreamWorks Animation

Throughout the course of the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, we’ve seen dim-witted, dumpling-obsessed panda Po (voiced by Jack Black) transform from a bumbling, underestimated rube into an insightful, self-confident warrior—a Dragon Master, to be exact. He’s found his chi, taken a journey of self-discovery,...

Exclusive: Peter Luo’s LA-based finance and training vehicle Stars Collective has teamed with Chinese-based documentary production company Meilin Culture on an international co-production agreement to team documentary films and TV projects.

The first projects of the deal will be the feature films Chinatown and Panda and the limited series Across the Ocean. The subjects of these documentaries cover a range of cultural topics, including Chinese cuisine, nature, history, and human-interest issues.

Chinatown is a documentary film focusing on Chinatown districts around the world. Working from the perspective of culinary styles and classic dishes, the film is billed as a “vivid presentation of the personal stories behind the cuisine and the cultural charm of different regions.”

Panda — which will focus on the endangered species — is the first installment of the documentary film series Fantastic Beasts in China. Synopsis reads: The series records pandas’ survival stories as well as the beautiful moments of their lives.

Filmmaker, actor, chef and television personality Eddie Huang (“Boogie,” “Fresh Off the Boat”) has signed on to direct a new documentary exploring the rise and surprising fall of Vice Media.

In a dramatic turn of events, the digital media company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May after boasting a valuation of $5.7 billion in 2017. Earlier this month, Vice Media Group announced a new restructuring plan and layoffs in the wake of its bankruptcy and $350 million asset sale.

Huang has an unique perspective on the story: for four seasons, he hosted “Huang’s World” on Vice, which chronicled his travels around the world to learn about local history, culture and food.

“For the majority of my late-20s and 30s, I loved Vice,” Huang says in a statement announcing the project. “It gave a generation of talent the opportunity to make things they didn’t have anywhere else.”

He continues: “Whether that was because we were weirdos,...

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Tis the season: my nephew, like thousands of other grade schoolers, just brought home the annual school fundraising kit.

And that had me remembering–earlier this year, YouTube‘s favorite Texan trickshotters, Dude Perfect, partnered with school fundraising company Booster to become part of the whole shebang.

The deal was a smart one for rigorously family-friendly Dude Perfect. They offered up the chance to win tickets to its then-upcoming “Panda-Monium” tour, plus some other branded prizes, all of which had them front and center in fundraising materials for screen-savvy kids who might give watching their videos a chance.

Filmmaker, actor, chef and television personality Eddie Huang has signed with M88 for representation.

The multi-hyphenate entertainer’s career kicked into high gear when Huang penned the autobiography “Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir,” about growing up the son of Taiwanese-Chinese immigrants, which was adapted into a critically acclaimed ABC comedy series of the same name. The series — starring Randall Park, Constance Wu and Hudson Yang as a younger version of Eddie — wrapped its six-season run in 2020.

Before bringing his life experiences to television, Huang owned the iconic NYC restaurant Baohaus, ushering in a generation of Taiwanese-Chinese restaurants over the course of a decade in business and launching his career as the host of cooking shows, including “Cheap Bites,” “Unique Eats” and “Huang’s World.”

In 2021, Huang made his feature directorial debut with the basketball drama “Boogie.” He also wrote the Focus Features film, in which he co-starred opposite Taylour Paige...

Outside, it’s rush hour, a still-sunny spring evening in Atlanta, but in here, you’d never know it. This room is windowless and dark, illuminated only by a projector shooting shimmering green stars onto the ceiling, a computer monitor displaying Pro Tools, and the glowing rack of gear beneath it. The air seems composed mostly of high-grade kush smoke, accompanied by just enough oxygen to sustain life. On a shelf in the corner are liter bottles of sugary sodas – Sprite, Pineapple Sunkist, Strawberry Fanta – mixers for a bottle of...