Deadpool Chows Down On Box Office Records Like They're Chimichangas In Record Breaking Opening Weekend

Prior to this weekend. everyone was fairly certain Deadpool would do large numbers at the box office, thanks to the lack of blockbusters in the marketplace and its incredible marketing campaign. But nobody saw it doing this kind of gargantuan record busting business, especially for a character who was previously seen as just a cult item. Now, Deadpool can officially call himself one of the biggest cinematic superheroes of all-time, and is demonstrating that certain R-rated films can make big bucks at the box office.

Kung Fu Panda 3 Review

Perhaps few franchises have managed to be as surprising in their overall quality as the Kung Fu Panda saga, with the first film being a tonal departure for DreamWorks Animation, going for a more restrained tone (no pop culture references to be found here) and carrying a screenplay far more reliant on characterization than past features from the studio like Bee Movie and Shark Tale. Thanks to its massive box office, a sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, occurred, and it too bucked convention by being far more than cashgrab sequel. Going darker in its story (the entire premise of this follow-up hinges on panda genocide) allowed for the character of Po (Jack Black) to not just retread his arc from the first film but rather grow in new areas (namely, in overcoming his traumatic past).

Kung Fu Panda 3 Wins The Box Office While The Finest Hours And Fifty Shades Of Black Are Yellowbelts

For the first in the franchises eight year history, a Kung Fu Panda film debuted outside of the summertime season, instead opting for a late January approach giving it the chance to flourish at the Chinese box office during Chinese New Year. Meanwhile, here in North America, this debut allowed it the chance to open in a far less competitive environment than the summer months. Over this unique weekend, Kung Fu Panda 3 scrounged up $41 million, an OK opening that's well below its predecessors, with the first one gobbling up $60.2 million in its opening weekend while the second one, after opening on a Thursday, took in $47.6 million.

What Does The Future Hold For DreamWorks Animation?

As a studio, DreamWorks and its animation counterpart, DreamWorks Animation, has always fascinated me, its journey of ups and downs never being predictable, but always managing to be riveting (go check out The Men Who Would Be King for an in-depth look at the history of DreamWorks, it's an excellent read!). Now, DreamWorks Animation is on the cusp of releasing a pivotal movie for the company, one that could signal whether their future investment in Chinese cinema (the release in question is was partly animated in China) is a bold paradigm shifting strategy or a misguided endeavor.

Who knew one portly panda could be responsible for so much?

Skadoosh! Po And His Dad Reunite In The First Kung Fu Panda 3 Trailer!!

Kung Fu Panda is one of those ideas that shouldn't work in theory, but man oh man, does it ever excel. The first one was such a charming and well made adventure, and surprisingly, the sequel was no slouch either. Kung Fu Panda 2 also surpassed expectations and wound up being a worthy successor to the original. Hopefully the third movie, Kung Fu Panda 3, follows suit and becomes another mighty Po adventure, and the first footage from the movie can be seen in the first trailer, which you can watch below.

You Asked For It; Alvin And The Chipmunks 4 (Yes, FOUR) Gets New Release Date And Director

With Kung Fu Panda 3 moving out of its Christmas 2015 release date, there's no family movie in that lucrative time of the year now. 20th Century Fox, which distributes KFP3, has now announced Alvin And the Chipmunks 4 will move up form 2016 to December 23, 2015, taking it's release date on the schedule.