Jack Black’s New $85M Sequel Continues A 3-Movie Trend, Proves Rotten Tomatoes Can’t Stop His Box Office

Jack Black’s latest cinematic hit continues a trend for the actor that proves Rotten Tomatoes can’t stop his inevitable box office success. Despite having an already impressive resume, Jack Black added another hit to his catalog with Kung Fu Panda 4. Black has been a pivotal part of the franchise, and its return to the big screen was a financial triumph with Kung Fu Panda 4 receiving a strong box office opening. Kung Fu Panda 4‘s success continues a positive trend for Black that has been going for three movies straight and this could be repeated in future projects.

Kung Fu Panda 4 made $58.3m in its opening weekend, which was just shy of the original’s $60 million box office weekend. This is the closest any of the sequels have come to matching the original and suggests the fourth installment could make close to as much as the first film. Kung Fu Panda 4 has already made back its budget with its domestic release and looks on course to be a massive financial success. However, it hasn’t impressed as much critically, with its mixed reviews continuing the same trend that Black’s last two movies have faced.

Kung Fu Panda 4 Is Jack Black’s 3rd Box Office Hit With A Mixed Rotten Tomatoes Score

Jack Black’s Latest Films All Share The Same Box Office & Rotten Tomatoes Trend

Kung Fu Panda 4 continues the same trend that Black’s previous two cinematic releases had, receiving mixed reviews while achieving impressive box offices. Both The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Jumanji: The Next Level also had split receptions between audiences and critics yet went on to be massive financial hits. The Rotten Tomatoes score for Kung Fu Panda 4 is the widest gap yet in the franchise, with a 16% difference between audiences and critics. Interestingly, the movie has the lowest critics’ score and the highest audience score in the franchise, proving there was some division with the film.

Jumanji: The Next Level also has the exact same Rotten Tomatoes figures as Kung Fu Panda 4, with both earning a 71% critics score and 87% audience score. This is still an overall positive, but there is clearly a gap between public and critical opinions on Black’s recent films, with The Super Mario Bros. Movie reinforcing this. Despite The Super Mario Bros. Movie earning a huge box office profit and making over $1 billion, its Rotten Tomatoes score was mixed. It was adored by audiences with a 95% score, yet it received a rotten rank among critics.

Why Jack Black Has Had So Much Recent Box Office Success (Despite Mixed Reviews)

Black Always Seems To Pick Widely Appealing Projects

The significant gap between audience and critics’ scores reveals exactly why Jack Black’s recent movies have been such box office hits. While critics tend to look for more meaningful and convoluted plots, audiences can appreciate something fun and entertaining that doesn’t explore complicated, in-depth themes. Black’s latest three films are all family-friendly movies that are designed to be enjoyable, rather than thought-provoking. That doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting themes in these films, but they focus far more on being lighthearted and easy to watch, which is a large reason audiences continue to show up and enjoy them.

Each of Black’s recent films are also part of a big franchise. Super Mario is one of the biggest gaming franchises of all time, while Kung Fu Panda and Jumaji are huge movie franchises. Unless they produce disasters, most movies are bound to perform well among audiences. Black isn’t the main draw of these films, but he is still a pivotal part of making them so enjoyable, with most audiences admiring his work. Jack Black’s Peaches song in The Super Mario Bros Movie was incredibly memorable, proving how crucial he is at elevating his projects and helping them become financial hits.

Jack Black’s Run Is Good & Bad For His Upcoming Movies

The Recent Box Office Run Could Have A Mixed Impact On Black’s Upcoming Films

With Jack Black’s upcoming movies falling into a similar category to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, his latest run is both good and bad for his next projects. Borderlands and Minecraft are Black’s next big cinematic releases, both of which are video game adaptations, just like The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While the quality of these movies will ultimately determine how well they perform, Black’s recent run indicates they could end up with similar Rotten Tomatoes scores. Minecraft and Borderlands may not overly impress critics, but there is a strong chance audiences will enjoy the films and respond positively.

Black’s next movies are more unpredictable when it comes to box office performance. Minecraft is also a huge franchise with an obvious demographic, but its lack of story may not translate well to cinema. This didn’t stop Super Mario from creating a strong movie, so Minecraft would be wise to follow its formula. Borderlands isn’t as mainstream, but still has a huge audience and the film is filled with massive stars alongside a modest budget. Both of Black’s upcoming movies have the chance to be box office successes, but they may face more challenges than his recent hits.