Kung Fu Panda 4 has managed to reignite interest in the beloved animated series, eight years after the last installment concluded its run as the lowest-grossing film of the lot. Despite lukewarm reviews, the film holds strong at the box office, nearing $600 million worldwide. Made on a lower budget compared to previous installments, Kung Fu Panda 4 follows Po on a new adventure.
The film has successfully surpassed its predecessor, Kung Fu Panda 3, at the worldwide box office, having already beaten it on the domestic front a few weeks ago. With $188 million domestically and another $336 million from overseas markets, Kung Fu Panda 4’s cumulative global gross stands at $525 million. Compared to its predecessors, Kung Fu Panda 4 is still far from matching the box office success of the first two films, which were both released over a decade ago.
While Kung Fu Panda 4 will likely not be able to match, let alone overtake, these films, it has a strong shot of hitting the $600 million mark worldwide before the end of its run. Animated movies tend to deliver huge multiples, as has been observed in the box office runs of recent films such as Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Elemental.
A Still From Kung Fu Panda 4 (Via IMDB)
What makes Kung Fu Panda 4’s box office performance all the more admirable is the fact that it’s by far the cheapest installment of the series. Produced on a reported budget of $85 million, compared to the previous movies’ budgets of between $130 million and $150 million. This is in line with post-pandemic animated movies such as Migration, The Bad Guys, and even The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Combined, the Kung Fu Panda film series has grossed over $2.3 billion worldwide.
Kung Fu Panda 4 follows the “Dragon Warrior” Po on a mission to defeat a formidable new villain called The Chameleon, voiced by Viola Davis. Despite reports of behind-the-scenes conflict arising from director Mike Mitchell’s methods, reviews for Kung Fu Panda 4 were among the most lukewarm that the franchise has ever seen.
The Kung Fu Panda series has a rich history, with the original Kung Fu Panda concluding its global run with $631 million and Kung Fu Panda 2 remaining the series’ biggest film with $664 million worldwide. As the series continues to thrive, fans can look forward to new adventures with Po and his friends.
