China Box Office: ‘Twisters’ Is Blown Away as ‘Successor’ Enjoys $89 Million Weekend

As a dedicated follower of Chinese cinema and someone who has lived through the excitement and anticipation surrounding the release of highly-anticipated films in China, I cannot help but be utterly captivated by the success story of “Successor.” The way this film dominated the Mainland China box office over the weekend, leaving other titles in its wake, is truly awe-inspiring.

In the Chinese box office over the past weekend, “Successor,” a Chinese comedy drama focusing on escaping poverty, was a major hit. The frame also witnessed a strong comeback for the Japanese animated film “Your Name.” Unfortunately, the Hollywood action movie “Twisters” failed to make an impact.

According to the figures from consulting firm Artisan Gateway, “Successor” made approximately $89.1 million in China between Friday and Sunday. This period marked the film’s initial weekend box office collection. By the end of Sunday, the movie had amassed a grand total of around $219 million in China.

I believe the reason for its early box office success is due to two consecutive wide screenings over the weekend prior, which were considered previews and therefore didn’t show up in Comscore charts a week earlier. Additionally, distributors strategically moved up its official release date to Tuesday (July 16), enabling it to surpass weaker competitors in the market. It seems that this summer, distributors are experimenting with releasing titles on days other than Friday, which is typically when most films debut in China.

I’m excited to be part of the team supporting the success of “Successor,” a captivating film co-directed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo, and featuring talented actors like Shen Teng, Ma Li, Shi Pengyuan, Sa Rina, and Xiao Bochen. With its compelling storyline, we’re confident it will resonate with audiences in English-speaking territories. Our distributor, CMC Pictures, shares this enthusiasm and is planning to release the film there in early August, tapping into the buzz generated by its initial success.

The movie “A Place Called Silence,” which was the number one film two weeks ago, remained in second place but saw a significant decrease, losing 50% of its revenue in its third week. It earned $16.4 million over the weekend and has accumulated a total of $156 million since its release on July 3.

The anime film titled “Your Name,” which came out in 2016 and made $83 million in China before that, had a successful re-release, earning $11.5 million in its first three days, placing it third.

“During the past weekend, “Despicable Me 4″ made $7.3 million, ranking fourth. Two weeks after its release, it has amassed a total of $32.5 million in China.”

“The ninth installment of the popular Chinese animated series ‘Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf,’ which has spanned both film and television, grossed $4.6 million during its opening week. The total earnings reached $5.4 million by the end of Sunday after accounting for advance screenings.”

As a movie reviewer, I’d put it this way: I noticed an interesting discrepancy while looking at the box office numbers for “Twisters.” According to Artisan Gateway, they didn’t have data available for the film’s performance in China. Yet, other data providers indicated that “Twisters” managed to earn approximately $1.5 million during its first three days of release in China. This is quite a contrast when we consider its impressive $80 million debut in North America and leading position in global box office rankings.

Comscore reported “Successor” as the world’s number two film over the latest weekend.

2024-07-22 07:16

China Box Office: ‘Twisters’ Is Blown Away as ‘Successor’ Enjoys $89 Million Weekend

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Minority Mindset