Disney’s “Frozen 2” stayed ahead of the competition in its second weekend in China, holding on to the top box office spot with a three-day gross of $26.7 million. According to consultancy Artisan Gateway, the “Frozen” sequel has now earned a cumulative $90.9 million in the world’s second-largest film market after releasing day-and-date with the U.S. and scoring Disney’s biggest-ever opening weekend in China for an animated title.
The Jennifer Lee-directed film already made more in its $53.2 million debut weekend than the original “Frozen” made in its entire $48 million Chinese theatrical run in 2014. Nevertheless, China has been no match for sales in the U.S., where the title has already earned $288 million.
The star-studded murder mystery “Knives Out” failed to slash its way to equivalent success in its China opening weekend, grossing $13.7 million to come in third behind fellow newcomer “Two Tigers,” a local dark comedy that earned $19.7 million.
The Jennifer Lee-directed film already made more in its $53.2 million debut weekend than the original “Frozen” made in its entire $48 million Chinese theatrical run in 2014. Nevertheless, China has been no match for sales in the U.S., where the title has already earned $288 million.
The star-studded murder mystery “Knives Out” failed to slash its way to equivalent success in its China opening weekend, grossing $13.7 million to come in third behind fellow newcomer “Two Tigers,” a local dark comedy that earned $19.7 million.
- 12/2/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The publicity-shy chief of Beijing Culture, which has backed such Chinese mega-hits as “Wolf Warrior II” and “The Wandering Earth,” openly urged film directors Monday to stick to material pleasing to the Chinese state, for the sake of their investors.
“If you’re shooting an art house or smaller budget films, it’s no problem — say what you want to say and shoot what you want to shoot,” Beijing Culture chairman Song Ge said at his company’s first-ever press conference, held at the Shanghai Intl. Film Festival. “But once you’re shooting with investors’ money, given the societal circumstances we have today, you should shoot films that reflect mainstream values.”
He defined those values as “things that the state allows you to shoot – things that the average people are used to seeing, that stabilize society.” Echoing the Communist Party line, he declared that “this is the place of commercial films.
“If you’re shooting an art house or smaller budget films, it’s no problem — say what you want to say and shoot what you want to shoot,” Beijing Culture chairman Song Ge said at his company’s first-ever press conference, held at the Shanghai Intl. Film Festival. “But once you’re shooting with investors’ money, given the societal circumstances we have today, you should shoot films that reflect mainstream values.”
He defined those values as “things that the state allows you to shoot – things that the average people are used to seeing, that stabilize society.” Echoing the Communist Party line, he declared that “this is the place of commercial films.
- 6/17/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese distributor Time in Portrait has snagged China rights to three Cannes Competition titles even before they were chosen to gun for the Palme d’Or: Ken Loach’s “Sorry We Missed You,” Arnaud Desplechin’s “Oh Mercy!” and Elia Suleiman’s “It Must Be Heaven.” The company boarded the films last year when the projects were still at the script stage. France’s Wild Bunch handled the sales.
It’s the second year in a row that Beijing-based Time in Portrait has nabbed China rights to a number of films ahead of their selection to compete in Cannes. Last year, it bought Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning,” Matteo Garrone’s “Dogman,” Eva Husson’s “Girls of the Sun” and Abu Bakr Shawky’s “Yomeddine.”
“We buy some films every year from Cannes, a festival that we attach a lot of importance to,” Time in Portrait general manager Sally Yihua Li told Variety.
It’s the second year in a row that Beijing-based Time in Portrait has nabbed China rights to a number of films ahead of their selection to compete in Cannes. Last year, it bought Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning,” Matteo Garrone’s “Dogman,” Eva Husson’s “Girls of the Sun” and Abu Bakr Shawky’s “Yomeddine.”
“We buy some films every year from Cannes, a festival that we attach a lot of importance to,” Time in Portrait general manager Sally Yihua Li told Variety.
- 5/14/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Paramount’s ’Transformers’ prequel up to $134m after 17 days.
The Chinese box office remained lacklustre in the period of January 14-20, which saw a slight week-on-week decrease. While Bumblebee continued to fly high with its third week at the top and no new releases entered the top three.
Paramount’s Transformers prequel Bumblebee stayed top for three straight weeks, adding $28.9m for $134m after 17 days. It is closing the gap with Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (2011) but is highly unlikely to reach the gross of the two most recent fimls in the franchise,Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) and Transformers: Age of Extinction...
The Chinese box office remained lacklustre in the period of January 14-20, which saw a slight week-on-week decrease. While Bumblebee continued to fly high with its third week at the top and no new releases entered the top three.
Paramount’s Transformers prequel Bumblebee stayed top for three straight weeks, adding $28.9m for $134m after 17 days. It is closing the gap with Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (2011) but is highly unlikely to reach the gross of the two most recent fimls in the franchise,Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) and Transformers: Age of Extinction...
- 1/21/2019
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Paramount’s ’Transformers’ prequel up to $134m after 17 days.
The Chinese box office remained lacklustre in the period of Jan 14-20, which saw a marginal week-on-week decrease. While Bumblebee continued to fly high with a hat-trick, no new releases entered the top three.
Paramount’s Transformers prequel Bumblebee stayed top for three straight weeks, adding $28.9m for $134m after 17 days. It is closing the gap with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, but highly unlikely with Transformers: The Last Knight and almost impossible with Transformers: Age of Extinction, which remains the fifth highest grossing foreign film of all time.
The Big Shot,...
The Chinese box office remained lacklustre in the period of Jan 14-20, which saw a marginal week-on-week decrease. While Bumblebee continued to fly high with a hat-trick, no new releases entered the top three.
Paramount’s Transformers prequel Bumblebee stayed top for three straight weeks, adding $28.9m for $134m after 17 days. It is closing the gap with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, but highly unlikely with Transformers: The Last Knight and almost impossible with Transformers: Age of Extinction, which remains the fifth highest grossing foreign film of all time.
The Big Shot,...
- 1/21/2019
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Paramount’s “Transformers” spinoff “Bumblebee” far outstripped local competitors at China’s weekend box office to bring in $25.8 million, according to figures from consulting firm Artisan Gateway. Yet despite strong praise from audiences about the film’s more character-focused storytelling and the cuteness of its eponymous Autobot, the new origin story has still underperformed compared to the previous franchise titles directed by Michael Bay.
Imax screenings accounted for $2.5 million of “Bumblebee’s” three-day haul, bumping the film’s total Imax revenue in China up to $10 million. As of Sunday night, the Hailee Steinfeld-starring tale has grossed a cumulative $107 million in China after 10 days in theaters.
The figures make it appear unlikely that the Travis Knight-directed picture will outstrip the latest “Transformers” installments. “The Last Knight” brought in $229 million in China in 2017, while “Transformers: The Age of Extinction” grossed an even larger sum at a time when the country had fewer screens and multiplexes,...
Imax screenings accounted for $2.5 million of “Bumblebee’s” three-day haul, bumping the film’s total Imax revenue in China up to $10 million. As of Sunday night, the Hailee Steinfeld-starring tale has grossed a cumulative $107 million in China after 10 days in theaters.
The figures make it appear unlikely that the Travis Knight-directed picture will outstrip the latest “Transformers” installments. “The Last Knight” brought in $229 million in China in 2017, while “Transformers: The Age of Extinction” grossed an even larger sum at a time when the country had fewer screens and multiplexes,...
- 1/14/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Paramount’s “Transformers” spinoff “Bumblebee” flew to the top of the Chinese box office in its opening weekend, raking in $58.8 million. While nothing to scoff at, the figure marks the lowest opening for the franchise in years in China, where other “Transformers” installments have broken ticketing records.
Meanwhile, the first “Rocky” franchise movie ever to be released in China appears set to take a bit of a beating at the box office. “Creed II” ranked a low fifth in its opening China weekend, making just $1.7 million, despite strong Chinese user reviews.
Before “Bumblebee,” “Transformers: The Last Knight” took in $120 million during its 2017 opening weekend and 2014’s “Transformers: Age of Extinction” scored $92 million, marking the 11th and 23rd largest opening weekends of all time in China, respectively. But as a spinoff rather than a full “Transformers” film, “Bumblebee’s” weaker performance might not raise too many eyebrows.
Chinese moviegoers are raving about the film,...
Meanwhile, the first “Rocky” franchise movie ever to be released in China appears set to take a bit of a beating at the box office. “Creed II” ranked a low fifth in its opening China weekend, making just $1.7 million, despite strong Chinese user reviews.
Before “Bumblebee,” “Transformers: The Last Knight” took in $120 million during its 2017 opening weekend and 2014’s “Transformers: Age of Extinction” scored $92 million, marking the 11th and 23rd largest opening weekends of all time in China, respectively. But as a spinoff rather than a full “Transformers” film, “Bumblebee’s” weaker performance might not raise too many eyebrows.
Chinese moviegoers are raving about the film,...
- 1/7/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Transformers prequel scores $60m opening weekend.
Thanks to the strong debut of Bumblebee, the Chinese box office soared by 67% week-on-week in the period of Dec 31 2018 – Jan 6 2019.
Paramount’s Transformers spinoff Bumblebee flew to the top of the Chinese box office with $59.8m from its three-day opening weekend, becoming the first Hollywood blockbuster of the New Year. It opened slightly above Rampage, which went on to become the eighth biggest foreign film of 2018.
Local comedy drama Kill Mobile came in second with $50m for $74.79m after 10 days. Produced by Zhang Yibai and adapted from 2016 Italian film Perfect Strangers, it marks the directorial debut of Yu Miao,...
Thanks to the strong debut of Bumblebee, the Chinese box office soared by 67% week-on-week in the period of Dec 31 2018 – Jan 6 2019.
Paramount’s Transformers spinoff Bumblebee flew to the top of the Chinese box office with $59.8m from its three-day opening weekend, becoming the first Hollywood blockbuster of the New Year. It opened slightly above Rampage, which went on to become the eighth biggest foreign film of 2018.
Local comedy drama Kill Mobile came in second with $50m for $74.79m after 10 days. Produced by Zhang Yibai and adapted from 2016 Italian film Perfect Strangers, it marks the directorial debut of Yu Miao,...
- 1/7/2019
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Local releases were the best performers again.
While the Chinese box office in 2018 ended with a bang with a groundbreaking annual milestone of $8.86bn (RMB60.98bn), 2019 failed to get off to a good start when the three-day New Year ticket sales (Dec 30 2018 – Jan 1 2019) plummeted by 21% compared to the same period last year.
Nevertheless, it is still the second highest New Year window period in Chinese history, after last year’s astounding success driven mainly by strong local titles such as The Ex-File: The Return Of The Exes and Feng Xiaogang’s Youth.
This year, local releases continued to dominate but their performance paled in comparison.
While the Chinese box office in 2018 ended with a bang with a groundbreaking annual milestone of $8.86bn (RMB60.98bn), 2019 failed to get off to a good start when the three-day New Year ticket sales (Dec 30 2018 – Jan 1 2019) plummeted by 21% compared to the same period last year.
Nevertheless, it is still the second highest New Year window period in Chinese history, after last year’s astounding success driven mainly by strong local titles such as The Ex-File: The Return Of The Exes and Feng Xiaogang’s Youth.
This year, local releases continued to dominate but their performance paled in comparison.
- 1/2/2019
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
New local Chinese titles beat Hollywood heavyweights “Aquaman” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” at the box office this weekend, with a remake and a panned sequel leading the pack. Meanwhile, expensive Bollywood flop “Thugs of Hindostan” failed to redeem itself in China, with a weak opening weekend marking the first Aamir Khan flop in China in years.
Chinese comedy drama “Kill Mobile,” a remake of the 2016 Italian film “Perfect Strangers,” rings in the new year at the top of the box office after a $24.3 million three-day opening weekend. The directorial debut of screenwriter Yu Miao, it tells the story of the fallout from a dinner party game in which a group of friends decides to share all the messages and calls receive over the course of an evening. Though originally scheduled to open Saturday, it hit theatres a day early due to strong pre-screening reviews and word-of-mouth.
Local fantasy sequel,...
Chinese comedy drama “Kill Mobile,” a remake of the 2016 Italian film “Perfect Strangers,” rings in the new year at the top of the box office after a $24.3 million three-day opening weekend. The directorial debut of screenwriter Yu Miao, it tells the story of the fallout from a dinner party game in which a group of friends decides to share all the messages and calls receive over the course of an evening. Though originally scheduled to open Saturday, it hit theatres a day early due to strong pre-screening reviews and word-of-mouth.
Local fantasy sequel,...
- 12/31/2018
- by Becky Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“Aquaman” continues to leave competitors in its wake, ruling the global box office for the fourth consecutive week.
Warner Bros.’ DC superhero film — directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa — amassed another $85.4 million in 78 international territories this weekend, taking its overseas tally to a massive $560 million. The tentpole also earned $51.5 million in North America for a global weekend haul of $136.9 million. That brings “Aquaman” to $748.8 million worldwide, with over $250 million of that bounty coming from China alone.
“Aquaman” has racked up a number of records, including the second-highest grossing film in the DC Universe (behind “The Dark Knight Rises”), and the biggest Justice League entry in a number of territories, such as China, India, and Indonesia.
The aquatic adventure launched in Australia this weekend with $11 million, as well as Colombia with $3.8 million. It also saw strong holds in China ($11.4 million), Korea ($7.4 million), and Mexico ($3.2 million).
While Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns...
Warner Bros.’ DC superhero film — directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa — amassed another $85.4 million in 78 international territories this weekend, taking its overseas tally to a massive $560 million. The tentpole also earned $51.5 million in North America for a global weekend haul of $136.9 million. That brings “Aquaman” to $748.8 million worldwide, with over $250 million of that bounty coming from China alone.
“Aquaman” has racked up a number of records, including the second-highest grossing film in the DC Universe (behind “The Dark Knight Rises”), and the biggest Justice League entry in a number of territories, such as China, India, and Indonesia.
The aquatic adventure launched in Australia this weekend with $11 million, as well as Colombia with $3.8 million. It also saw strong holds in China ($11.4 million), Korea ($7.4 million), and Mexico ($3.2 million).
While Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns...
- 12/30/2018
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
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