Kung Fu Panda smacks down the US box office

Did somebody say Shrek? Yes, it looks like DreamWorks might have a new powerhouse franchise possibility on its hands as the new CG ‘toon Kung fu Panda, featuring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman, smashed the competition and bested expectations to slice $60 million dollars from the box office across the pond.

Also opening was Adam Sandler’s new comedy, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan. Despite boasting Judd Apatow and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog creator Robert Smigel on co-scripting duties, Zohan arrived to average Sandler figures, taking in $40 million.

Third place went to a little film called Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, which is still drawing them in, and has leapt over the $250 million domestic US total thanks to a $22.8 million weekend. That put it just ahead of fourth-placed Sex And The City, which nabbed $21.3 million, dropping 63% from its first weekend. Horror thriller The Strangers also dropped, nabbing $9.3 million in its second weekend for fifth.

At sixth, Iron Man continued on its course towards a $300 million US box office score, grabbing $7.5 million this weekend. Prince Caspian had to settle for seventh and $5.5 million. That $125 million US take won’t make Disney’s bean counters too happy…

Wallowing near the bottom we find What Happens In Vegas at eighth with $3.4 million, followed by Baby Mama, which is holding on in there and birthed $779,000 in receipts for ninth, with Made Of Honour taking 10th place on $775,000.