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PEOPLE & ARTS A29
Monday 1 February 2016
‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ tops box office, ‘Finest Hours’ flounders
LINDSEY BAHR the Heart of the Sea” for This image released by DreamWorks Animation shows character Mei Mei, voiced by Kate Hudson
AP Film Writer audiences. performing a ribbon dance in a scene from the animated film, “Kung Fu Panda 3.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Kung The opening is similar to last
Fu Panda 3” kicked its way year’s “McFarland, USA,” Associated Press
to the top of the North another fact-based drama
American box office with from Disney, which opened
a respectable $41 million, with $11 million in late Feb-
according to Rentrak esti- ruary and went on to earn
mates Sunday. $44.4 million.
The DreamWorks Anima- The “Fifty Shades of Grey”
tion film cost a reported parody “Fifty Shades of
$145 million to make and Black,” meanwhile, earned
earned a strong “A’’ Cin- a modest $6.2 million, but
emaScore from audienc- it only cost a reported $5
es — 70 percent of whom million to produce. Marlon
were families. Wayans co-wrote, stars in
“It’s a bold move to take and produced the R-rated
a franchise which has had takeoff.
great success in that sum- “Spoof movies and paro-
mer corridor and move it dies have a very mixed box
into late January, which office record,” said Derga-
is generally considered a rabedian. “The reviews are
very slow time,” Rentrak’s never good on these mov-
senior media analyst Paul ies. You have to really hope
Dergarabedian said. “It you’re riding a wave of the
also filled a huge void in popularity of the movie
the marketplace.” you’re spoofing.”
The first film opened to “Fifty Shades of Grey” was
$60.2 million in 2008 and released last February and
the second to $47.7 million its sequel isn’t expected
in 2011. until next year.
For Fox, switching up the The Weinstein Company’s
release was a no-brainer Natalie Portman-led West-
after seeing the successes ern “Jane Got a Gun”
of “The Lego Movie” and misfired out of the gates,
last year’s “The SpongeBob bringing in only $803,000 on
Movie: Sponge Out of Wa- a $25 million budget.
ter” in this time frame. Overall, there wasn’t much
“We know that when the space for newcomers with
market conditions are strong holdovers like “The
right, this business really is a Revenant” and “Star Wars:
365-day-a-year business,” The Force Awakens,” which
said Chris Aronson, Fox’s took second and third
domestic distribution chief. place with $12.4 million
“We saw an opportunity and $10.8 million, respec-
and we grabbed it. We’re tively. Both fell only 23 per-
thrilled with the results.” cent from last weekend.
There are a number of Notably, Fox’s “The Rev-
winter holidays coming enant,” once considered a
up where kids will be out possible box office disaster
of school and “Zootopia,” with its gritty subject matter
2016’s next big animated and reported $135 million
release, doesn’t open until budget, has earned $138.2
March 4. million to date in six weeks
The animated sequel also in theaters thanks in part to
fared much better than its awards hot streak with
the weekend’s other new multiple wins for star Leon-
openers, like Disney’s Coast ardo DiCaprio and a host
Guard adventure “The Fin- of high profile Oscar nomi-
est Hours,” which debuted nations.
in fourth place with $10.3 “It’s a marvelous thing for
million. us, for the industry, for film-
Based on a real life 1952 making in general. To have
rescue mission, “The Fin- a hold like this is really heart-
est Hours” stars Chris Pine, ening,” Aronson said. “This
Casey Affleck and Ben Fos- is a pretty good weekend.
ter and cost around $80 There’s a very balanced
million to make. marketplace here. There’s
Dergarabedian thinks that something for everyone
the nautical theme might out there now, and I’ve al-
have seemed too similar ways said that’s when this
to the recently released “In business is at its best.”q
