'Panda' masters Friday box office

Animated feature nets $20 million

By ANTHONY D'ALESSANDRO

DreamWorks Animation and Paramount's "Kung Fu Panda" easily won the Friday box office with a gross of $20 million from 4,114 theaters, giving Jeffrey Katzenberg's company its highest opening day ever for a non-sequel and second overall after last year's "Shrek the Third," which posted an opening day gross of $38.4 million.

Sony's Adam Sandler laffer "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" placed No. 2 on Friday, opening to $15 milion from 3,462 venues. That marks the second highest opening for a Sandler summer comedy behind 2005's "The Longest Yard" ($16.2 million).

"Panda," toplining the voice of Jack Black, is the first animated pic to hit theaters since Fox's family Easter tentpole "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" which has grossed $152.8 million domestically. However, unlike other family toons, exit polls showed that "Panda" also played to non-family demos on Friday, particularly in the late night showings.

Placing No. 3 on Friday was Warner Bros. and New Line's "Sex and the City," which declined 73% from opening Friday to $7.3 million from 3,325 for a cume of $85.3 million.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" placed fourth with $6.5 million off 4,190, down 48%, and a current running total in its third Friday of $237 million.

Rogue Pictures' "The Strangers," distributed by Universal, notched fifth with $3.1 million from 2,477, down 60% in its second Friday, for an eight-day total of $31.5 million.

Memorial Day weekend 2005 marked the last time a Sandler title and DreamWorks toon bowed in the same frame. While "Longest Yard" beat out "Madagascar" on opening day, "Madagascar" won the four day weekend in grossing $61 million, compared to $58.6 million for "Yard."

Of those arthouse titles reporting box office results on Friday, Eros' Bollywood drama sequel "Sarkar Raj" about the dealings of political family raked in a per theater average of $2,490 from 70 engagements or $174,000. Sony Classics' Jim Broadbent-Colin Firth drama "When Did You See Your Father Last?" posted $10,000 from eight engagements while Third Rail Releasing's "The Promotion" starring John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott collected $9,000 from six Gotham and Los Angeles playdates.