The early weekend box office numbers are in, and it looks like Dune: Part Two wasn’t quite able to take the number one spot from Kung Fu Panda 4 after all. It was very close, with the animated sequel grossing $30 million to Dune’s $29.1 million. It’s so close that I’m not quite willing to admit my prediction that Dune 2 would top Panda was wrong, as Denis Villeneuve’s sequel has been overperforming at Sunday matinees the last few weeks. That said, even if it doesn’t top Panda, it still had a great weekend, with it only dropping a modest 37% in its third week. It also passed the double-century mark, with its final gross at $205 million. Will it cross $300 million? It’s possible, although it will face heavy competition over the next two weeks with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Godzilla x Kong.

Meanwhile, Kung Fu Panda 4 had a strong second weekend, dipping a modest 48%. Family audiences are turning out in droves for this fourquel, which should do better domestically than the last two films in the series. However, it will be interesting to see if Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire takes a bite out of their box office, with that movie also aiming for a family audience. 

Mark Wahlberg’s feel-good family film, Arthur the King, had a surprisingly soft opening, considering his co-star was an adorable dog. It only managed $7.5 million, with many critics noting it seemed like a film that would have been better off on streaming than in theaters (our critic Tyler Nichols was one of them). Blumhouse’s Imaginary collapsed (as expected) in its second weekend, earning $5.6 million. While it only fell a modest 44%, its opening was widely considered poor for a Blumhouse film, with some wondering if the studio is in a rut. 

The faith-based Cabrini from Angel Studios also collapsed at the box office this weekend, falling 63% to a poor $2.8 million weekend in fifth place. Clearly, this fact-based historical epic doesn’t have the same mainstream appeal as director Alejandro Monteverde’s last movie, Sound of Freedom. Even still, it did a lot better than other new movies this weekend. Rose Glass’s LGTBQ-themed Love Lies Bleeding had a difficult time hooking a mainstream audience in its wide break, only managing $2.485 million, which is a shame as it’s a bit of a gem. However, it still did way better than The American Society of Magical Negroes, which only managed a $1.25 weekend despite playing on over 1000 screens. The reviews for this one suggested it was a toothless satire, and certainly, the provocative title might have helped turn off some viewers. That one only managed to open in ninth place. It was beaten by the fact-based WW2 story One Life, starring Anthony Hopkins, which made $1.7 million in 8th place. Elsewhere on the chart, Bob Marley: One Love inched closer to a potential $100 million finish with a $1.7 million weekend and a domestic total of just over $93 million. Ordinary Angels rounded out the top 10 with $1 million and a $18 million domestic tally. 

Next weekend should give the box office a much-needed cash influx, with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire opening, although no one really knows if it will be a major hit or not. The reviews (including ours) drop Wednesday at noon ET, so stay tuned!

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