Kung Fu Panda 4 Beating Dune 2 In Second Box Office Weekend Showdown

It looks like Kung Fu Panda 4 will get the better of Dune: Part Two for the second straight weekend. Kung Fu Panda 4 is heading toward a second-weekend gross of $31.5 million, bringing its box office total to $109.2 million domestic. Dune: Part Two will earn $29 million in its third weekend, bringing its box office total to $205.2 million. Kung Fu Panda 4 is faring decently with critics. It has a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a critical consensus that reads, "Kung Fu Panda 4 offers enough eye-catching entertainment to sustain the franchise's young fans, although it's starting to feel like this series is running out of steam."

Dune: Part Two has been met with critical acclaim, earning a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. ComicBook.com's Patrick Cavanaugh scored the film as 4-out-of-5 stars in his Dune: Part Two review. He writes:

"[Frank] Herbert's Dune is not only a thrilling journey in its own right, but it also serves as an allegory exploring themes of colonialism, fanaticism, religion, imperialism, and the exploitation of natural resources. These aren't entirely crowd-pleasing ideas, and Villeneuve largely accomplishes honoring those themes while also making for an engaging sci-fi epic. It doesn't quite feel as awe-inspiring as the debut film, but this will ultimately work in the favor of the story, as we aren't given arbitrarily inflated elements that would have fit within the blockbuster-oriented sensibilities of franchise filmmaking seen in so many other series. Still, the fact that such an inaccessible tome could be brought to life without having to sacrifice either the character complexities or depressing allegories found within the source material makes the two-film journey a triumph in its own right, and we can't wait to see where Messiah will take us."

Arthur the King is the top opener this weekend, coming in third with $8 million. Imaginary and Cabrini fill out the top five on the chart. The full list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend is in the works.