‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Box Office In China — How Will The Animated Film Do?

Kung Fu Panda 3 is the third film in the Kung Fu Panda series, due out January 29, 2016, and it debuted in China on January 23 for only three hours. The brief sneak preview earned DreamWorks $6.5 million, a total which would equal two showtimes at numerous theaters around the nation. What’s more interesting is that not only are there an English and Mandarin version of the film, but each are animated differently as well.

“You’ll have to see it twice to compare the differences between the English and Chinese versions,” DWA CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said. “But twice is not enough,” Katzenberg added, getting laughter from several hundred managers of Chinese cinema chains at the event. “You’ll actually have to see it a third time to decide which is your favorite.”

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a Chinese co-production with state-run China Film Group, with a budget somewhere between $120 million and $140 million. The third Kung Fu Panda was originally going to be released in theaters on March 18, which is just one weekend before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens. Eventually, the animated film changed its release date to January, which gives it the opportunity to become the biggest movie ever to open in January, at least in the United States.

“The dual-language authoring should maximize box-office potential for the film,” Rance Pow, founder and president of the Shanghai-based cinema consulting firm Artisan Gateway, said. “We’ll be watch­ing KFP3’s run into its second week and beyond for signs the audience has an appetite for both versions. The DWA franchise has been well received in China and has a strong fan base. The film looks teed up to break mainland records.”

https://t.co/kTLPG1oFvC whole version of King fu fighting by the boys x

— amy (@amytaylo_r) January 23, 2016

The effort to try and get Chinese movie-goers to see the film multiple times may end up paying off for DreamWorks. Could Kung Fu Panda 3 end up being a blockbuster overseas, outgrossing it’s American box office numbers? That remains to be seen, but the two versions of the film may help in that effort. It also may become standard practice for the studio, as well as other animation studios in Hollywood.

Kung Fu Panda, the first film, opened in 2008 with a $60 million opening weekend, and wound up earning $217 million here in America and $603 million worldwide. The film also earned $12 million in China. The sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, did not do as well in America, with a $48 million opening and earning only $165 million in its domestic box office run. However, the animated sequel did extremely well overseas with a $665 million worldwide cume, including a then-eye popping $92 million in China.

The plot synopsis for Kung Fu Panda 3 is as follows:

“When Po’s long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible-learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas. “

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— Tina Bartunek (@TinaBartunek) January 24, 2016

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a DreamWorks Animation and Oriental DreamWorks production, starring Jack Black as Po, Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, Bryan Cranston as Li Shan, Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Lucy Liu as Viper, Jackie Chan as Monkey, David Cross as Crane, Seth Rogen as Mantis, Kate Hudson as Mei Mei, J.K. Simmons as Kai, and James Hong voicing Mr. Ping.

Kung Fu Panda 3 debuts in theaters on Friday, January 29, 2016, one weekend before the Chinese New Year weekend.

[Image via DreamWorks Animation]