http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=kung+fu+panda&_sacat=See-All-Categories

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17524865/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080609.wkungfu09/BNStory/Entertainment/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080609.wkungfu09

Celebrity voices sell

Kung Fu Panda was in production for four years, but Angelina Jolie spent one week on it and got all the press.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i1751753614c1db7781fa0b80307544bb

The No. 1 domestic title, DreamWorks/Paramount’s “Kung Fu Panda,” debuted day-and-date in nine overseas markets for an animated $20.7 million from 1,398 screens for a muscular $14,806 per-screen average.

“Panda,” the action saga of an overweight panda (voiced by Jack Black), set boxoffice records for an animation title in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines and grossed a stunning $9.2 million from 569 locations in Russia, as well as $7.5 million from 550 screens in South Korea.

“Grown-ups get their kicks from ‘Panda’ “

With its cast of characters — voiced by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Ian McShane and Dustin Hoffman — “Panda” is a natural film franchise.

The race between “Panda” and “Zohan” was expected to be much closer, but “Panda” far exceeded expectations that it would tally box office in the high-$30 million to low $40 million range. It success seemed to reflect pent-up demand for appealing family films in the marketplace. “Panda,” with a per-screen average of $14,584, is the first bonafide family hit of the summer. The debut, about $15 million above projections, and it did so with a surprisingly grown-up crowd. The “Panda” debut included $2.3 million rung up from 89 of Imax’s giant-screen venues. According to a studio exit poll, 55% of the audience were females, 71% of the audience was 17 and older, and 51% of Panda-goers were older than 25. Roughly 41% of the audience was parents, while 17% were under the age of 12. Of the overall aud, 12% were teenagers.

“That’s an amazing statistic,” says Jeff Bock, analyst for the industry tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. “That means the movie drew heavily on fanboys, those young men who love the martial arts. (Animation) is starting to break out of that family-only mode.” “It probably resonated better than expected with the adults,” Paramount marketing maven Anne Globe said. “We really tried to show that the movie had comedy, action and lots of heart, which appeals to every member of a family, and you can really see that audiences and critics alike embraced the movie. There was strong appeal for this movie in the tweens, teens and general audience beyond the core families and kids,” said Anne Globe, head of marketing for DreamWorks. “Certainly, families and kids also showed up in droves.” Friday’s gross of $20.3 million was particularly strong for a family film, indicating that “Panda” also got teenagers and young adults.

(info from USA Today, Variety, Hollywood Reporler, LA Times)

http://goldderby.latimes.com/

“Can ‘Kung Fu Panda’ knock out ‘WALL-E’ to claim the Oscar?”

Comingsoon.com says nomination looks likely but Pixar’s WALL-E is the Goliath.

Angelina was voted #1 of the 50 most glamorous women of 2008 in Glamour magazine. Just thought you might want to know!

See here: http://www.glamour.com/fashionbeauty/slideshows/2008/05/most_glamorous?slide=50