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Everyone wanted to see the small panda that could this weekend… well Kung Fu Panda’s Po, voiced by Jack Black, is not exactly small, but he was definitely a box office favorite in the US and Canada.
DreamWorks Animation’s family cartoon “Kung Fu Panda” was the greatest theater magnet this weekend, attracting far more moviegoers than Columbia Pictures’ “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” as seen in ticket sales.
The Jack Black comedy about a jolly, lazy panda named Po who dreams of being a martial arts master earned an estimated $60 million during its first three days, distributor Paramount Pictures said Sunday. Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, the ensemble cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Set Rogen and others.
Adam Sandler returned to the big screen this weekend with “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” his usual brand of goofy, over the top comedy, this time about an Israeli commando who dreams of becoming a successful hairstylist in New York.
“Panda” had been expected to make something between $45 and $50 million and exceeded expectations, earning the top spot at the box office while “Zohan,” directed by Dennis Dugan and written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow came in second, with a very respectable $40 million, well above the mid- to high $30 million range anticipated.
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is still ranking high on the chart, with $22.8 million at No. 3, while last weekend’s champion, “Sex and the City: The Movie,” the successful continuation of the HBO television series, slipped to No. 4 with $21.3 million.
The fourth installment of “Indiana Jones,” directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford once more, has reached a total of $253 million after three weekends. “Sex and the City,” which brings back the four fashionable friends Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Samantha (Kim Cattrall) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) has cumulated an estimated total of $99.3 million.
Rogue Pictures’ horror film “The Strangers,” starring Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, rounds up the top five, with $9.3 million in its second week.
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