Kung Fu Panda 3 landed at the top spot at the box office in a piece of news that was a surprise to no one inside Hollywood circles. The first two Kung Fu Panda movies ruled their respective box office weekends, so Jack Black and his animated triumph was not such a shocker.
The first film’s summer release was a surprise hit, as it made $60.2 million in 2008. The sequel landed in 2011 and banked $47.6, also in a summer release. What was a surprise is how DreamWorks released during the normal dismal January box office period. Guess they knew it would be the top grossing film as Kung Fu Panda 3 scored its top box office spot with its $41 million take.
That pushed last week’s one-two films, The Revenant and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, into second and third place with $12.4 million and $10.8 million, respectively. The Revenant, who leads in Oscar nominations with 12, has made $138.1 million so far. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has done pretty well on its own, making $895.4 million so far since its December 18 release.
The other new release this week, Disney’s The Finest Hours, had to be content with fourth place and its $10.3 million take. Closing out the top five was a former number one, the Kevin Hart and Ice Cube starring Ride Along 2… with $8.3 million.
Box Office Top Five:
- Kung Fu Panda 3, $41 million
- The Revenant, $12. 4 million
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens, $10.8 million
- The Finest Hours, $10.3 million
- Ride Along 2, $8.3 million