Box Office Battle: Kung Fu Panda 4 Beats Dune: Part Two To Stay On Top For Now

Heading into this past weekend, it was predicted that Dune: Part Two would retake the box office crown from Kung Fu Panda 4, but the projections were actually reversed, with Mike Mitchell's animated sequel beating Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic for a second straight week. It was a close race, with early estimates having Kung Fu Panda 4 earning roughly $30 million versus $29 million for Dune: Part Two over the Friday-to-Sunday period, but it was enough to give the panda a narrow victory. Combining the two for the three-day helped both movies stay well within the top ten for the month of March.

For those who like numbers and percentages, Kung Fu Panda 4 arrived in theaters two weeks ago and made $57.8 million in its opening weekend, with a domestic total of $107.7 million. That means it dropped about 48% this week, which is pretty common for family movies that tend to attract bigger crowds on opening weekend and then drop off quickly. As for Dune, it made $23.8 million in its third week, with a domestic total of $205.3 million. That means it fell only 37%, an incredibly small drop for a movie's third week. It's clear that those who wanted to see Dune: Part Two in theaters (like myself) have already seen it once, but the word of mouth is so good that many are going back for more views, whether for fun, for appreciation, or to try and spot all the Easter eggs. Three movies held over from last week's top ten: Arthur The King, Imaginary, and Cabrini. The last of the three starred Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, but only managed a 42% drop with a three-week total of $13.1 million. Arthur The King, on the other hand, only made $7.5 million in three weeks, with a 62% drop this week, which isn't a good sign for the Mark Wahlberg/Simu Liu movie. And finally, Imaginary, which starred Michelle Monaghan, finished up its theatrical run with $19.1 million after a 33% drop in its fifth week. Two new movies also debuted in the top ten: Love Lies Bleeding, which made $2.8 million, and Bob Marley: One Love, which made $2.3 million. Of the two, Bob Marley: One Love had the better week, with the highest per-screen average of the top ten movies ($6,672). Still, it only managed a 52% drop over the five-day Christmas period. In other words, neither movie impressed, but both fared better than Arthur The King. Finally, the number one movie for a second straight week is Kung Fu Panda 4, which is definitely worth seeing, especially if you have kids. As for next week, two new movies will be vying for a spot in the top ten, with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire hoping to stay hot after its $43 million opening and Immaculate hoping to make an impact. We'll have the full top ten next Sunday, so be sure to check back to see who comes out on top.