China Box Office: ‘Her Story’ Stays on Top as ‘Moana 2’ Drops to Third Place

As a seasoned movie enthusiast with decades of film appreciation under my belt, I must say that the current state of Chinese cinema is nothing short of exhilarating! The dominance of “Her Story” for three consecutive weekends speaks volumes about the growing demand for narratives that resonate with women and their experiences. It’s a heartening sight to see such a film topping the box office, and I can’t help but reminisce about my own days as an unemployed single mother!

For three weekends in a row, the comedy-drama film “Her Story” by Maxtime Pictures, featuring a primarily female perspective, has been number one at the Chinese box office. Meanwhile, Disney’s release of “Moana 2,” which initially ranked second, moved down to third place this weekend.

According to Artisan Gateway’s data, the movie “Her Story” experienced a drop in its earnings over the weekend, raking in approximately RMB90.1 million ($12.7 million) between Friday and Sunday. Currently, the film has accumulated a total of around $76.3 million in China, which slightly deviates from the $74.8 million figure reported by Comscore.

“Her Story

In second place at the box office, “Burning Stars” by Dimension Films earned $7 million. This film is directed by Xu Zhanxiong, known for his Golden Rooster award-winning movie “The Pioneer,” and the Golden Crane award-winning “Wild Grass.” The plot revolves around a group of young students who undertake a clandestine mission, using themselves as lures to execute an evacuation operation. The main characters are portrayed by Roy Wang (“Ray of Light”), Sophie Zhang (“She’s Got No Name”), Connor Leong (“Song of Life”), and Li Chen (“Bureau 749”).

Over the weekend, “Moana 2” brought in $3.6 million, placing it third, while amassing a grand total of $11 million within its territory. In fourth position was the Tamil-language Indian film “Maharaja,” distributed by The Route. Directed by Nithilan Saminathan and starring Vijay Sethupathi, this film also features Indian auteur Anurag Kashyap in a supporting role as the antagonist. The movie made slightly over $2.8 million this weekend, bringing its total earnings to $7.6 million.

The eagerly awaited movie, “The Last Dance” from Emperor Motion Pictures, has secured a spot among the top five due to advance ticket purchases. Scheduled for release on December 14, this film has already earned $2 million in ticket sales. Newcomer Anselm Chan, a promising director from Hong Kong, is behind the camera for this production. The plot revolves around a financially struggling former wedding planner and a stern old Taoist priest who form an unexpected partnership in the funeral business. The film boasts a stellar cast led by renowned Cantonese comedians Dayo Wong (“Table for Six”) and Michael Hui (“Security Unlimited,” “Where the Wind Blows”).

The movie shattered box office records in Hong Kong, becoming the top-earning Chinese-language film there. It was recently screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Over the past weekend, the country’s total box office earnings amounted to $39.8 million. So far this year, the cumulative box office revenue stands at a staggering $5.74 billion. However, these figures are still 21% lower than what was recorded at the same time in 2023.

Read More

2024-12-09 08:46