'Kung Fu Panda' series breaks anime box-office records in Korea

By HYUN-YI LEE Posted : April 12, 2024, 13:56 Updated : April 12, 2024, 14:07
 
Movie poster for "Kung Fu Panda 4
SEOUL, April 12 (AJU PRESS) - "Kung Fu Panda 4" broke anime box office records in Korea, bringing solace to many Koreans bidding farewell to their beloved giant panda last week. The fourth installment of DreamWorks' hit animation series swiftly claimed the top spot at the Korean box office upon its debut in local theaters on Wednesday.

According to the Korean Film Council, "Kung Fu Panda 4" attracted approximately 429,000 viewers on its opening day alone, nearly doubling the audience figures of its predecessors. The first installment of the series attracted 105,337 viewers in 2008, the second about 130,076 in 2011, and the third some 222,044 in 2016. "Kung Fu Panda 4" also achieved the highest opening score for an animation film in about five years, surpassing the records set by "Shrek 3" with 626,133 viewers in 2007 and "Frozen 2" with 606,618 viewers in 2019.

The film's opening-day success also put a break on director Jang Jae-hyun's horror film "Exhuma," which had dominated the box office for over a month.

The return of the world's funniest panda shortly after the departure of Fu Bao, Korea's first panda born here who recently left Korea to settle in her new home in China, the panda-themed comedy is likely to continue its successful run here as it would appeal to many Korean moviegoers still in their "mourning" period. However, some skeptics suggest that the film's release coinciding with a holiday for general elections may have inflated the audience numbers, as voters opted for family outings at the theaters.

"Kung Fu Panda 4" tells the story of "Po," an anthropomorphic giant panda, as he confronts a formidable villain in an epic showdown.

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