A scene from the latest film of the Kung Fu Panda franchise, which will premiere globally on Jan 29. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Kung Fu Panda 3 set a new high in box office records in China, pocketing 41.26 million yuan ($6.27 million) from more than 1.17 million moviegoers in just three hours during a sneak preview session held nationwide on Saturday afternoon.

The roughly 90-minute animated sequel, by DreamWorks Animation and Oriental DreamWorks, hints at a potential blockbuster debut, especially in China, when it opens on the coming weekend on Jan 29, one weekend before the Chinese New Year weekend.

The third installment of the Kung Fu Panda franchise, a follow-up to Kung Fu Panda 2 in 2011, set a new record for previews in China as it topped the box office on Jan 23 during a preview nationwide from 14:00-17:00 pm. Note that China has been struck with pretty harsh weather over the weekend, so it is highly possible that the figure may have been higher, had the temperature been better for viewers to visit the theaters.

The Kung Fu Panda franchise has performed very well in China and the US. According to Forbes, Kung Fu Panda, which opened in 2008, earned $217 million in America, $603 million worldwide and $12 million in China. The sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2 in 2011, dipped a little bit with $165 million in US, but made up for it from its worldwide sales of $665 million and a whopping $92 million from China. As the protagonist panda Po goes on a quest to find his roots and his biological father, along with the record-setting ticket sales during the preview, and the timing of the coming Chinese New Year break, it is reasonable to expect another big cash-in from Kung Fu Panda 3 from the Chinese market.