NORTH AMERICA: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Registers $48.1M in First Week After Leading Thursday with $1.32M; 'The Revenant' Second with $0.93M; 'The Force Awakens' Third with $0.80M

By Daniel Garris

Kung Fu Panda 3 took in $1.32 million on Thursday to lead the daily box office for a seventh straight day. The 3D computer animated sequel from Fox and DreamWorks Animation slid 6 percent from Wednesday. Kung Fu Panda 3 was easily the week's top film with a seven-day start of $48.05 million. That is a bit below expectations and places the film 16.5 percent behind the $57.54 million seven-day take of last year's Hotel Transylvania 2. Kung Fu Panda 3 is widely expected to remain in first place this weekend.

Fellow Fox release The Revenant held steady in second place with $0.926 million. The Alejandro González Iñárritu directed western starring Leonardo DiCaprio declined 3 percent from Wednesday and 39 percent from last Thursday. The Revenant placed in second for the week with $16.83 million. That was down just 25.5 percent from the previous frame and brings the film's total to an impressive $142.60 million through four weeks of wide release (and an additional two weeks of platform release).

Disney's Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossed $0.804 million to remain in third. The seventh chapter of the Star Wars franchise was up 1 percent over Wednesday and down 40 percent from last Thursday. With a record-breaking seven-week gross of $899.07 million, The Force Awakens is set to surpass the $900 million domestic mark today, making it the first film ever to do so. Star Wars: The Force Awakens placed in third for the week with $14.43 million, which was down 26 percent from the previous frame.

Fellow Disney release The Finest Hours rounded out its first week of release with a fourth place take of $0.727 million. The 3D action drama starring Chris Pine fell 4 percent from Wednesday. The Finest Hours landed in fourth place this week with a modest seven-day start of $13.67 million. That places the film 10 percent behind the recent $15.14 million seven-day take of In the Heart of the Sea, though going forward The Finest Hours is expected to hold up better than In the Heart of the Sea did.

Lionsgate's Dirty Grandpa rounded out the day's unchanged top five with $0.560 million. The R-rated comedy starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron fell 5 percent from Wednesday and 41 percent from last Thursday. Dirty Grandpa took sixth place this week with a weekly gross of $10.09 million. The film was down just 34 percent from the previous week and has grossed $25.34 million in two weeks.