'Kung Fu Panda 3' to Avoid 'Batman v Superman' Release Date

By Dondi Tiples, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The long-awaited DreamWorks film, "Kung Fu Panda 3" is finally scheduled to be released early next year, staying clear of superhero movie "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

With a glut of superhero films premiering in the next couple of months up to the following year, DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 3" has had to dodge schedules with a new January 29, 2016 theater release.

Pitted against "Batman v Superman," "Deadpool," the "Warcraft" movie, and "The Divergent Series: Allegiant," which all have a first quarter release for 2016, DreamWorks is striving to evade the box office competition by bumping up the third installment of Po the Panda's story.

Earlier on, it veered away from its original December 23, 2015 release date to avoid "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which had the same release date.

A March 18 date was picked, but "Kung Fu Panda 3" would have gone head to head with the March 25 slot of "Batman v Superman." DreamWorks finally moved the movie up to the end of January to give fans a chance to enjoy the animated film with as little competition as possible.

The January 29 release date also comes just before Chinese New Year on February 8, as a nod to Oriental DreamWorks, the studio's China outfit which created the first "Kung Fu Panda" film.

Unfortunately for DreamWorks, January is considered an off-peak season for theater releases, the dead month where films with uncertain prospects are scheduled to either triumph in the box office or bomb without much notice.

DreamWorks may be hedging its bets based on the franchise's earlier performances. The first "Kung Fu" Panda made $60 million during its 2008 opening weekend, while "Kung Fu Panda 2," with its $48 million theater debut, was second only to "The Hangover Part II".

The upcoming installment of the movie will see Po reunited with his biological father, followed by a return to his birthplace where he faces an arranged marriage, a power grabbing evil spirit, and more dangerous adventures.