Quick: What’s black and white and green all over? Kung Fu Panda 3, that’s what.
Never mind that most pandas will only nibble on bamboo. Fox’s rotund martial artist gobbled up a pile of dough this weekend—an estimated $41 million of it, in fact. In fact, it nearly set a January opening-weekend earnings record, finishing just a cabbage or two shy of 2014’s Ride Along. Clearly, this is one panda not doomed to extinction.
Panda pretty much lapped the rest of the field. The Revenant, thanks perhaps to some serious Oscar buzz, continues to perform well, banking another cool $12.4 million to finish second. And while Star Wars: The Force Awakens didn’t get a lot of love from the Academy, it did snag itself a nomination from the Plugged In Movie Awards. We’re guessing that’s why the latest Star Wars flick managed to collect $10.8 million to finish third. (Don’t bother to thank us, Disney. Just doing our jobs.)
The Finest Hours was the only other new release besides Panda to land in the Top Five. The inspirational docudrama about a courageous Coast Guard rescue sailed into port with $10.3 million, leaving not a single dollar behind. It forced Ride Along 2 and its $8.3 million down to fifth place.
Another new release, Fifty Shades of Black, might well be in the red after its lackluster debut. The Marlon Wayans spoof managed just $6.2 million, despite playing in more than 2,000 theaters.
Still, Black performed better than Jane Got a Gun. Playing in more than 1,200 theaters, Jane managed just $800,000—the worst opening by far of star Natalie Portman’s career. See Jane. See Jane flop. Poor Jane.
Final figures update: 1. Kung Fu Panda 3, $41.3 million; 2. The Revenant, $12.8 million; 3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, $11.1 million; 4. The Finest Hours, $10.3 million; 5. Ride Along 2, $8.4 million.
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