“Kung Fu Panda 4” skadooshes “Dune 2”'s hopes at the box office with $58.3M opening

Meanwhile, "Dune: Part Two" has already reached $368 million worldwide in its second week of release.

Everybody was kung fu fighting at the box office this weekend. The fourth installment of the Kung Fu Panda cinematic series, starring Jack Black as the titular ass-kicking ursine, opened with $58.3 million domestically, as per Comscore.

Internationally, Universal's animated franchise film earned an additional $22.2 million, bringing its global debut weekend total to $80.5 million.

After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Black), is called upon by destiny to … give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. But before he can assume his new lofty position, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior.

Black first took on the role of Po in 2008, and since then the Kung Fu Panda franchise has grossed nearly $2 billion.

"I didn't realize at the time that this was gonna be a role that I'd play half my life," Black recently said of his Panda years. "That's being generous, though. It's not quite half my life. I'm 54. But still, a lot of my life."

Bowing to the Dragon Master, Dune: Part Two fell to second place at the domestic box office, taking in $46 million in its second week of release, bringing its cume to $157 million. Internationally, however, the sequel to the 2021 sci fi epic maintained its spot atop the box office with $81 million this weekend. So far, Dune: Part Two has grossed $367.5 million worldwide.

Blumhouse's Imaginary opened in third place domestically, with $10 million ($13.1 million worldwide). When Jessica (DeWanda Wise) moves back into her childhood home with her family, her youngest stepdaughter Alice (Pyper Braun) develops an eerie attachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey she finds in the basement. Alice starts playing games with Chauncey that begin playful and become increasingly sinister.

"Chauncey was our diva," Wise told EW. "There always needs to be one, and Chauncey was it. His ‘last looks’ took the longest," she said, referring to the bear's final hair-and-makeup touch-ups.

Rounding out the top five at the weekend box office, Cabrini, from Sound of Freedom director Alejandro Monteverde, opened in fourth place with $7.6 million, while in its fourth week of release, the biopic Bob Marley: One Love earned $4.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $89.3 million ($160.5 million worldwide).

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Related content:

• Jack Black reveals Kung Fu Panda's 'skadoosh' origins and connection to Nacho Libre
  

• Christopher Walken discovers his secret Dune connection from more than 20 years ago: 'Never crossed my mind'
  

• Imaginary actress DeWanda Wise says teddy bear costar was total 'diva'
  

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