Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom Of Doom

[GeneChing]

Goes goes to show, you don't ever know Po.

[JamesC]

Wow, that is surprising, actually. I loved the first Hangover movie, but the second one just seems like a remake.

I thought KFP2 was great, btw. The CGI seemed on a whole different level in this one too.

[GeneChing]

Now I wonder how much they spent on advertising...

'Kung Fu Panda 2's' Disappointing Performance Leads DreamWorks Animation’s Stock to Hit Two-Year Low
10:10 AM 5/31/2011 by Georg Szalai

An analyst says “one of the company’s few remaining franchises” may be showing “signs of fatigue.”

NEW YORK – Shares of DreamWorks Animation fell to their lowest level in two years in early Tuesday trading as several Wall Street analysts called the opening weekend performance of the studio’s Kung Fu Panda sequel disappointing.

As of 9:50 a.m. ET, the stock was down 5.3 percent at $23.51. Earlier in the trading session though, it went as low as $23.09. That was below a 52-week low of $24.38 hit last week and also marked the lowest price hit in about two years.

DWA shares last traded this low in May 2009. On May 13 of that year, the stock went as low as $23.12. A day earlier, it had even hit $22.51.

The decline came as the broader market rallied after the long Memorial Day weekend in the U.S.

BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield reiterated his “sell” rating on DWA, cut his target price by $5 to $20 and reduced his financial expectations.

“The key drivers of DWA’s troubles are that its movies have not lived up to expectations and the global DVD market is in free fall as consumers continue to shift from buying to renting,” he said. He also pointed to an analyst day about 18 months ago, during which the company had outlined such growth opportunities as 3D, TV series, live entertainment (Broadway shows) and virtual worlds. “It has become increasingly clear that none of DWA’s growth opportunities are going to “bear the fruit” that management had hoped,” Greenfield argued.

Janney Montgomery Scott analyst Tony Wible called the Kung Fu Panda performance a “disappointment,” saying the $68 million box office take through Memorial Day fell short of his $75 million estimate. He suggested that the first-weekend data implies that Panda is on pace to generate $225 million in U.S. box office receipts, below his $245 estimate.

“The film grossed less than its predecessor (opened to $60.2 million) despite the 3D ticket premium, long weekend, and three years of ticket price inflation,” Wible highlighted. “This is the latest in a string of disappointments for DWA and is more troubling as Panda has been one of the company’s few remaining franchises, which may be showing signs of fatigue.”

Doug Creutz, analyst at Cowen & Co., said the film had “a very strong international opening,” but he still reduced his outlook for the film’s profitability and cut his 2011 earnings estimate for DWA. He said he continues to have a “neutral” rating on DWA shares.

“We believe that the soft domestic open further validates our concern that increased competition is hurting the domestic box office potential of individual animated films,” Creutz said. “Further, we note that Kung Fu Panda is the only franchise DWA has launched in the last five years that has shown any sort of international box office power, and thus we do not expect the international strength of Panda 2 to be repeated on a regular basis by DWA’s future releases.”

[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 !

[Lucas]

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 !

unless its girl on girl! or girl on girl on girl. or girl on girl on girl on girl on girl. or something like that...

[GeneChing]

I enjoyed 3D back when it was those crappy red & blue glasses. I'll almost always drop the extra bucks for 3D. Post-production 3D sucks. It makes my eyes tired. But most CGI flicks look good in 3D and KFP2 looks fantastic. The 3D is really good. In fact, the best thing about KFP2 is the 3D scenery. It's just dazzling. It could have used a few more 'flying kicks in your face' 3D shots for my money, as it is a cartoon after all and you might as well milk that 3D for what it's worth.

For discussion of 3D porn, go here. For 3D kung fu, go here and here (here and here too but they don't count as much).

[ghostexorcist]

I just saw it with my niece and nephew. It was pretty good. I recognized some of the newer voices, including Van Damme (the alligator) and Michelle Yeoh (the goat).

[GeneChing]

I'm not the only one scratching their heads about Hangover 2's success last weekend.

What causes the extremely rare, rated-R smash?
Industry Analysis
Why are their so few R-rated smashes?
Posted: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 11:03 pm | Updated: 12:11 am, Thu Jun 2, 2011.
TONY POTTER tony@natetonymovies.com

How in the world did "The Hangover 2" beat out "Kung Fu Panda 2" in the weekend box office? Especially on a Memorial Day weekend, when families typically crowd theaters?

There's actually a bigger question. How in the world did "The Hangover 2" grab the all-time top spot for a comedy opening? In fact, this raucous film is now second on the list of all-time R-rated openings as well (behind 2003's "The Matrix Reloaded"). So with an $86 million weekend, and a $105 million four-day holiday opening, lets take a look at what it is that brought audiences in such droves.

First of all, rated-R films are rarely serious contenders for that No. 1 spot. Historically, there are no rated R films in the top 15 biggest weekend openings, and only four in the top 50. However, the mid- to failure-level that rated R films are typically relegated to is not necessarily because of the rating — it's because of the reasoning behind the rating.

As family-orientated film critics, Nate and I avoid most R-rated films because they don't usually mesh with our values, and we don't enjoy the content. Most R-rated content is gratuitous in nature anyway, included to draw audiences who like that kind on content in, not because it has any bearing on the story.

But occasionally there is a brilliant story told in film, and when the story is finished the filmmakers and writers look back over the product and see that certain elements of the story warrant an R rating. The key difference here is that the story creates the R-rated content, as opposed to R-rated content being the driving force for audience enjoyment.

A look at some of the highest grossing R-rated flicks can help us get a clearer picture. "Gladiator" (2000) demanded a bit of violence, but how could you tell the story of a gladiator fighting his way to overthrow a monarch without some fighting? Most epic war films have the same demand. To tell a story that centers around scenes of battle, assassination, skirmishes and such, you often need to show some of those scenes. Something like "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) may take the “realism” factor a bit far, but it was in an effort to portray the story. At the top of the box office list you also find "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003), a sequel to one of the most breakthrough and brilliant films of all time, with one of the most innovative stories as well. There's also "Terminator 2" (1991), which shares an appeal similar to The Matrix franchise in that it's a sequel to an incredible world and story. R-rated smashes are hard to predict, but when they come it is easy to see the similarities between them and past hits, as is the case with Harrison Ford's 1997 "Air Force One," a brilliant thriller.

But where were we? Ah, yes … "The Hangover 2." The question is why this film didn't fall into the niche crowd that populates theaters when films such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" or "Old School" came out? Well unlike those films, which draw on the crude factor for laughs and completely leave out a good story, "The Hangover 2" follows the success of its predecessor by focusing on a mystery-type story with great actors to carry the audience through, effectively breaking out of the crude-based category of film and entering the story-based category, allowing it to have wider appeal.

Now I am neither condoning, nor saying that I enjoy or watch all R-rated films that fit into this story-based category (“The Hangover 2” is certainly filled with not-family-friendly content). I am, however, saying that "The Hangover 2" breached typical niche lines and drew in all sorts of audiences (about 50 percent of attendees this past weekend were female, for example) by providing a good story. And although the crude content of "The Hangover 2" certainly connects with some audiences on a purely comedic level, it is the focus on writing, story and character that brings audiences out in droves.

When all is said and done, however, the typical lack of such story elements will continue to keep most R-rated flicks off the radar.

[GeneChing]

KFP2 is just beginning its international campaign.

'Kung Fu Panda 2' to Open Taormina Film Festival
4:25 PM 3/25/2011 by Eric J. Lyman

The Italian premiere of the film, featuring a voice cast led by Jack Black and Angelina Jolie, continues the festival's trend of launching high-profile projects.

ROME – The Taormina Film Festival announced Friday that the animated film Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D will be the opening film at this year’s edition of the 57-year-old event.

The Italian premiere of the film -- directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and including the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Seth Rogen -- continues Taormina’s trend of serving as a launching pad for high-profile films. In 2010, the Sicily festival premiered with Toy Story 3 in 3D, and previous editions have hosted Transformers and Mission Impossible II.

As with the other blockbusters to appear in Taormina, Kung Fu Panda 2 will screen in the festival’s centerpiece venue, the ancient and picturesque Teatro Antico.

This year’s edition of the festival runs June 11-18.

Taormina’s artistic director is Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter’s chief international critic.