Summary

  • Kung Fu Panda 4 has passed the $500 million milestone at the global box office.
  • Because of this, the franchise has surpassed the $2 billion mark, becoming the 7th highest-grossing animated franchise ever.
  • DreamWorks Animation now holds the record for most animated franchises that have grossed over $2 billion.

Kung Fu Panda 4 has helped DreamWorks break an enormous box office record. The new movie features the return of Jack Black as the voice of Po, the anthropomorphic panda who has become a kung fu master over the course of the previous movies in the animated franchise, which kicked off in 2008. When it opened in March, it debuted with a 3-day total of $57.9 million at the domestic box office, marking the second-best opening of the franchise behind the original movie's $60.2 million debut gross.

Per Deadline, the Kung Fu Panda 4 release has passed the $500 million milestone at the global box office with a running total of $503.5 million. This gargantuan gross has also pushed the four-movie franchise as a whole past the $2 billion mark worldwide, becoming the seventh highest-grossing animated franchise in history. This, in turn, has caused DreamWorks Animation to break an even bigger record by becoming the owner of the most animated franchises that have crossed the $2 billion milestone between Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, and Madagascar.

How Kung Fu Panda 4 Stacks Up Against The Other DreamWorks Franchise Titles

The DreamWorks Movie Is A Huge Hit Thanks To Its $85 Million Budget

Po Rushing Down a Dock in Kung Fu Panda 4

The animated sequel is a success, though it's so far the lowest-grossing movie in the franchise. It could nevertheless climb higher up the chart by the end of its run and has likely already earned enough for a possible Kung Fu Panda 5 to be considered. Additionally, it is the cheapest movie in the franchise, boasting an $85 million budget that makes its break-even point likely somewhere around $170 million because theaters keep half of ticket sales. Below, see how it compares to the rest of the franchise as well as entries in the other $2 billion record-holders from DreamWorks:

Title

Budget

Worldwide Box Office

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

$85 million

$503.5 million+

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

$145 million

$506.1 million

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

$150 million

$664.8 million

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

$130 million

$631.9 million

Penguins of Madagascar (2014)

$132 million

$366.9 million

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)

$145 million

$746.9 million

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)

$150 million

$599.7 million

Madagascar (2005)

$75 million

$556.5 million

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

~$100 million

$485.3 million

Puss in Boots (2011)

$130 million

$554.9 million

Shrek Forever After (2010)

~$150 million

$756.2 million

Shrek the Third (2007)

$160 million

$807.3 million

Shrek 2 (2004)

$150 million

$935.4 million

Shrek (2001)

$60 million

$492.1 million

The fact that the movie's budget is so low despite the star-studded Kung Fu Panda 4 cast has helped it rise above many other competitors in terms of profitability. This is the case despite the fact that it has so far only outgrossed three of the 13 other movies from the three record-breaking DreamWorks franchises. However, there is no telling how high the movie's worldwide box office can climb by the end of its run, which will likely allow it to at least outgross the next titles up the chart, including Kung Fu Panda 3 and possibly Puss in Boots.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is also the highest-grossing movie from one of these three franchises to have come out in the 2020s so far. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 strikes impacting box office results over the first five years of the decade, crossing the $500 million milestone is less of a surefire prospect for any release. Therefore, while it may not be a juggernaut at the level of hits such as Shrek the Third or Madagascar 3, the sequel is a financially worthy title to be the one to propel DreamWorks into this record-breaking gross.

Source: Deadline