In 2024, everybody will once again be kung fu fighting.
DreamWorks Animation has officially announced that the fourth theatrical entry in the Kung Fu Panda franchise will bow on March 8, 2024. Kung Fu Panda 4 will mark the franchise’s first big-screen release since 2016.
This is the moment you’ve all been waiting 4. #KungFuPanda 4 hits theaters on March 8, 2024. pic.twitter.com/7xufMNOgyL
— DreamWorks Animation (@Dreamworks) August 12, 2022
DreamWorks’ original Kung Fu Panda movie released in theaters in 2008. The animated film starred Jack Black as the voice of Po, an accident-prone anthropomorphic panda with aspirations of being a great martial artist. Kung Fu Panda was a big hit for DreamWorks, securing strong reviews and becoming the third-highest grossing film of 2008, behind The Dark Knight and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Kung Fu Panda was also nominated for Best Animated Film at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes.
Black reprised his role as Po for two sequels, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Kung Fu Panda 3, which released in theaters in 2011 and 2016, respectively. Of these sequels, Kung Fu Panda 2 was especially successful, with the 2011 film surpassing the worldwide box office total of its 2008 predecessor. On that note, until the release of Wonder Woman in 2017, Kung Fu Panda 2 held the distinction of being the biggest worldwide box office success for a film directed solely by a woman (Jennifer Yuh Nelson).
Kung Fu Panda Returns to the Big Screen
In addition to the main three (soon to be four) films, the Kung Fu Panda franchise has spawned a number of spinoff and tie-in projects. Since 2008, there have been various animated short films, a television holiday special, several video game tie-ins and even a stage play. There have also been a number of Kung Fu Panda animated series.
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness ran on Nickelodeon (later jumping to Nicktoons) for 80 episodes across three seasons from 2011 to 2016. Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny then ran on Prime Video for a single, 26-episode season from 2018 to 2019. Most recently, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight dropped its 11-episode debut season on Netflix last month. Legends of Awesomeness and The Paws of Destiny both featured Mick Wingert as the voice of Po, with Black returning for The Dragon Knight.
