The film received a warm welcome from the Chinese audience, including areas affected by the earthquake in Sichuan, which is also home to the giant pandas. On its first weekend (June 20-22) the film grossed $5.53m (RMB38m), according to distributor Huaxia Film Distribution.
Despite announcing a five-day delay for the film, cinemas in Sichuan started screening the film on Saturday, June 21, just one day after the nationwide release. The film grossed $220,000 (RMB1.5m) in two days in the Sichuan region.
Five cinema circuits in Sichuan jointly issued a statement last Friday to say they would delay the film, due to protests sparked by performance artist Zhao Bandi who claimed that the film exploits China's national treasures.
However, their fears seem to have been allayed by Saturday when all cinemas in Sichuan began to show the film.
The first weekend gross of Kungfu Panda is the second highest opening for an imported film so far this year. In April, Iron Man grossed $5.73m in China in its first weekend.
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