Dune: Part Two Secures Strong Second Weekend Box Office, As It Was Written

The prophecies speak of a Voice from the Outer World, who is destined to save the box office from starvation and lead it out of the darkness. Possibly with some help from a panda that knows kung fu.

As it was written, so it has come to pass. Though "Kung Fu Panda 4" has knocked "Dune: Part Two" from the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend, the two movies have vastly different target audiences and are happily co-existing. "Kung Fu Panda 4" grossed $19.4 million on Friday (including previews) and is now expected to gross $55 million over its opening weekend, according to Deadline. "Dune: Part Two" grossed $12.3 million on Friday, putting it on track to gross $44 million over its second weekend in theaters. That would be a drop of just 47% from its $82.5 million debut last week — a very sturdy hold — and would bring its running domestic total to an estimated $154.7 million.

IMAX ticket sales, which made up 23% of the opening weekend box office for "Dune: Part Two," are sure to be helping here. Commenting on the $18.5 million from IMAX locations, CEO Rich Gelfond said, "The only reason it wasn't higher is we ran out of seats." Like last year's "Oppenheimer," which sold out available IMAX showings as soon as tickets went on sale, the grand scale and hype surrounding director Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic has a lot of people wanting to see it on the biggest screen possible. Some locations are sold out for weeks in advance, which bodes well for the weekends to come. This movie will probably have legs strong enough to carry it right across the deserts of Arrakis.

With Disney currently experiencing an animation slump, Universal Pictures and Illumination have emerged as the new box office champion for young moviegoers. Illumination had the second-highest grossing movie of 2023 with "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," enjoyed slow but steady success over the winter with "Migration," and now the Jack Black-voiced fighting panda bear Po has made a triumphant return in "Kung Fu Panda 4." The last movie in the franchise released back in 2016, and it seems that absence has made hearts grow fonder; the estimated $55 million opening will be the biggest for the series since the original movie. 

There's nothing but open road ahead for "Kung Fu Panda 4." The next animated family movie to hit theaters will be "Garfield," still on the distant horizon with its May 24 release date. "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" could potentially steal some focus later this month, but that movie has very much been marketed as a nostalgia trip for grown-ups rather than an accessible adventure for the under-10 crowd.

Horror movie "Imaginary" (not to be confused with John Krasinski's upcoming imaginary friend movie "IF") also landed in theaters this weekend, and is off to an okay start with a $3.6 million opening day. It's now looking at a debut between $9 million and $10 million, which is below earlier projections but by no means a disaster. Blumhouse horror flicks tend to have thrifty budgets and this one is no exception, with Variety reporting that it cost around $12 million to make. "Imaginary" is also out in a lot of major markets around the world, so overseas box office should help it become a modest success by the end of its run.