Kung Fu Panda 4has beat out its predecessor in the domestic box office. According toBoxOfficeMojo,Kung Fu Panda 4has now grossed $153 million (compared toKung 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 4is currently the lowest-grossing film in the series on a global level.
Kung Fu Panda 4
King Fu Panda 4’s cast includes Jack Black (who returns as the lovable panda Po), Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, and Ian McShane. The animated film, which follows Po’s ongoing journey, landed in theaters on March 8, beating out another star-studded sequel: the sci-fi epicDune: Part Two.
Kung Fu Panda 4isn’t quite a critical knockout, falling a bit short of the franchise’s other features. While the film currently holds a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to over 81% for its predecessors), most critics agree it’s a worthy entry in the series, earning high marks for its talented voice cast.Our review praises the addition of Awkwafina, who “breathes needed excitement into a stale franchise” and the film’s tremendous action scenes, but critiques a weak subplot that “detracts from the main plot.” Despite mixed reviews,Kung Fu Panda 4is a hit with moviegoers. The film scores an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes audience rating, surpassing every other movie in the series.
Kung Fu Panda 4: Po’s Journey Continues…. Eight Years Later
The continuation of Po’s journey took eight years to land on the big screen, withKung Fu Panda 3premiering in 2016 (Kung Fu PandaandKung Fu Panda 2were released in 2008 and 2011). According toKung Fu Panda 4director Mike Mitchell,the extended wait had everything to do with getting Po’s story perfectly right:
“When I was producing the third film, we’re like, ‘Wow, we’re really wrapping up.’ And so, for this one, probably why it took so long to get to the big screen is we didn’t start on this until we are sure we had the right story. It’s all about finding that perfect story. We don’t want to just tell another one. It’s got to be something that evolves Po, and Po has got to learn something… he’s got to really advance to the next level,” Mitchell said.
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Kung Fu Panda 4is co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine and written by Darren Lemke, Jonathan Aibel, and Glenn Berger. It is produced by Rebecca Huntley and distributed by Universal Pictures.
The feature follows Po (Black) after he is tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. He needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior, but a wicked sorceress (Davis) plans to re-summon all the master villains Po has vanquished to the spirit realm. The animated feature welcomes Awkwafina as Zhen, a corsac fox who accompanies Po on his journey. Check out the trailer below.
Kung Fu Panda 4is currently playing in theaters.
