Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom Of Doom

[solo1]

Saw KFP 2 with wife and kids this weekend. Loved it and yes would see it again, in fact may take my boys back this weekend.

[GeneChing]

I've heard that KFP2 did sold more non-3D tickets than 3D. Haven't validated that yet.

Box Office: With 'Hangover' and 'Kung Fu Panda' sequels, it's the biggest Memorial Day weekend ever [Updated]
May 30, 2011 | 9:08 am

After months of slow business at the box office, Hollywood's headache may finally be subsiding. Audiences showed up in droves to see a bawdy comedy, an animated family film and even art-house fare over the holiday, making it the biggest Memorial Day weekend on record for ticket sales.

"The Hangover Part II," the sequel to the 2009 surprise hit about three friends trying to piece together a wild night out, grossed a phenomenal $137.4 million from Thursday to Monday in North America, according to an estimate from distributor Warner Bros. The weekend's other new movie in wide release, the 3-D animated film "Kung Fu Panda 2," raked in a so-so $68 million. Those grosses were enough to help push the overall weekend tally to $280 million, breaking the 2007 Friday-through-Monday record of $255 million and blowing by 2010's paltry $192.7 million take.

"The Hangover Part II" passed some milestones of its own, as it had the biggest debut of any R-rated comedy ever. Even the film's three-day gross from Friday through Sunday was far higher than 2008's "Sex and the City: The Movie," which collected $56 million on its first weekend in theaters.

The film, this time set in Bangkok instead of Las Vegas, was produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures for about $80 million, meaning it is off to an excellent start. As expected, the movie attracted a young crowd -- a segment of the audience that so far this year has not been eager to rush out to the cinema. Of those who saw the second "Hangover" film, 54% were under 25, and 41% were between the ages of 18 and 24. Those who saw the filmed enjoyed it, giving it an average grade of A-minus, according to market research firm CinemaScore. That bodes well for the movie, as the first "Hangover" film received an A grade and went on to gross $467.5 million worldwide largely due to its strong word-of-mouth.

Overseas, the movie opened in 40 countries and grossed $59 million, a strong take for a comedy abroad. The film performed best in the United Kingdom, where it had $16.4 million in ticket sales. The sequel will open in Germany and Russia next weekend, where it will continue its attempt to surpass the $190 million international tally of the original "Hangover."

Panda While "Kung Fu Panda 2" fared decently, it did not do as well as its 2008 predecessor, "Kung Fu Panda," which collected $60.2 million in three days compared with the sequel's $47.8 million Friday-through-Sunday gross. Plus, the second film has the benefit of 3-D ticket surcharges and it was also more expensive to make. DreamWorks Animation produced the second film about a sword-wielding panda for around $140 million, roughly $20 million more than the budget for first movie.

Those who saw the film loved it, giving it an average grade of A, which was even better than the A-minus grade the first movie received. About a third of the audience, 33%, was under the age of 18, and the picture attracted slightly more males (54%) than females (46%).

But like "Kung Fu Panda," the sequel will still probably do more business overseas than domestically. The first film collected $416.3 million of its total $631.7 million gross internationally. And the second film is already off to a fantastic start abroad, opening in only 11 countries and already collecting $57 million. The movie sold the most tickets in China, where it is set, grossing $18.5 million. "Kung Fu Panda 2" opens in 11 additional foreign territories next weekend, including Greece and Hungary.

In limited release, a number of low-budget films did solid business. In two theaters in New York and two more in Los Angeles, Terrence Malick's Palme d'Or-winning "Tree of Life" grossed $488,920 over four days for an excellent per-theater average of $122,230. Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" expanded from six theaters to 58 and had $3.5 million in ticket sales over four days.

[Updated at 10:27 a.m.: After just over 10 days in release, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" has already passed the $400-million mark at the box office overseas. The film added $124.3 million to its bounty in more than 100 foreign markets this weekend, bringing its international total to $485.1 million. That means the film is well on its way to reaching the $654 million that the third film in the series, "At World's End," collected abroad in 2007.

Here are the top 10 movies in the U.S. and Canada, based on their four-day grosses. Percentage drops are based on three-day grosses. International grosses are through Sunday only.
1. "The Hangover Part II" (Warner Bros./Legendary): Opened to $105.8 million. $60.3 million overseas in 40 foreign markets. Domestic total: $137.4 million.

2. "Kung Fu Panda 2" (DreamWorks Animation/Paramount): Opened to $62.2 million. $57 million overseas in 11 foreign markets. Domestic total: $68 million.

3. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (Disney): $50.4 million on its second weekend, down 56%. $124.3 million overseas in more than 100 foreign markets. Domestic total: $164 million. International total: $485.1 million.

4. "Bridesmaids" (Universal/Relativity): $21 million on its third weekend, down 21%. Domestic total: $89.6 million.

5. "Thor" (Marvel/Paramount): $12 million on its fourth weekend, down 39%. $3.5 million overseas in 60 foreign markets. Domestic total: $162.4 million. International total: $253.1 million.

6. "Fast Five" (Universal): $8.2 million on its fifth weekend, down 39%. $13.3 million overseas in 61 foreign markets. Domestic total: $197.6 million. International total: $346 million.

7. "Midnight in Paris" (Sony Pictures Classics): $2.6 million in 58 theaters. Domestic total: $3.5 million.

8. "Rio" (Fox): $2.4 million on its seventh weekend, down 61%. $3.8 million overseas in 37 foreign markets. Domestic total: $135.4 million. International total: $321.9 million.

9. "Jumping the Broom" (Sony TriStar): $2.4 million on its fourth weekend, down 51%. Domestic total: $34.6 million.

10. "Something Borrowed" (Warner Bros./Alcon): $2.3 million on its fourth weekend, down 47%. Domestic total: $35.2 million.]

-- Amy Kaufman

[GeneChing]

3D fading? It's those **** post-prod 3D flicks again.

JUNE 1, 2011
Overheard: 3-D Doldrums

Investors in RealD just had their rose-colored glasses karate-chopped. Shares of the company, which provides 3-D technology to movie theaters, slid 12% on Tuesday after 3-D box-office results proved disappointing for "Kung Fu Panda 2." Domestically, just 45% of the movie's gross receipts on opening weekend were driven by non-IMAX 3-D tickets. Such tickets have driven 57% of opening weekend domestic revenue for films with a 3-D option, dating back to late 2007, according to analyst Marla Backer of Hudson Square Research.

Lately, the figure has trended down. The novelty may be wearing off in the U.S., perhaps because of so many 3-D releases, poorer quality movies or high ticket prices. Internationally, though, movie-goers still love 3-D. While it drove just 38% of revenue on opening weekend for the latest installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, the 3-D booty abroad was 63%.

[doug maverick]

the thing is people are starting to notice the difference, between actually shot in 3D and post pro 3d. and they are not going to waste 20$ for a crappy conversion. people want shot in 3D movies now. the demand is high but actually movies being shot in 3d is still low. its actually not that expensive and pretty much anybody can shoot something in 3D. avatar was expensive because cameron had to not just create a world but creatures and put them all in 3d. but a regular action film would be no problem. for those that dont know a 3D camera is simply two camera spaced apart the length of your eyes, one camera for one eye and one for the other. then in post production(or sometimes its done in camera) the red and green is taken out of one cameras footage and the blue out the other, then the two shots are "blended" into one, when see through glasses it gives the optical allusion of a third dimension.


how the suppose post pro 3D works is. the take the same image shot with a single camera,double it, do the same thing, green and red from one, blue from the other, and then blend it back together. only you really dont get that 3D feel. the reason being is that its the same image, two cameras put together give you two slightly different images that when blended together are not 100% aligned. where as the post pro single images are exactly the same, other things are done to make the image "pop" but ultimately its a failure and a waste of money.



this has been a lesson...lol

[Zenshiite]

Many people also just don't want to put down that extra bank for 3D just because it's 3D. If I'd have gone to KFP2 in 3D it would have cost my family an extra $12. No thanks.

I'm saving up my 3D viewing for Green Lantern.

[JamesC]

Many people also just don't want to put down that extra bank for 3D just because it's 3D. If I'd have gone to KFP2 in 3D it would have cost my family an extra $12. No thanks.

I'm saving up my 3D viewing for Green Lantern.

QFT. That's the only reason I didn't see it in 3D. Times are hard.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Personally I can't stand 3D in movies, I get that all the time in real life !
On the subject, 3D porn is JUST PLAIN WRONG !