China Box Office: ‘Volunteers 2’ Dominates Holiday Weekend as Annual Total Reaches $5 Billion

As someone who has been following and analyzing the Chinese film industry for years, I must say that Chen Kaige’s “The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death” is truly a remarkable achievement. The film’s success during the National Day holiday week is a testament to its compelling storytelling and patriotic themes that resonate deeply with the Chinese audience.

Over the past weekend, Chen Kaige’s war epic “The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death” held the top position at the Chinese box office. However, the closing days of the National Day holiday period continued a pattern of relatively low performance.

In its first weekend, the movie “The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death” grossed approximately RMB324 million ($45.6 million), as reported by Artisan Gateway, a consultancy firm. Additionally, the film accounted for 26% of all screenings during the Friday-to-Sunday period. This weekend marked the latter half of a holiday week that began on October 1st, celebrating the anniversary of China‘s founding in 1949.

This movie is helmed by Chen Kaige, featuring Zhu Yilong, Xin Baiqing, and Zhang Zifeng in lead roles. It serves as the second chapter of his patriotic “The Volunteers” series, following closely on the heels of the first installment which was released around the same time last year.

Movie ticketing service, Maoyan, has announced that “Volunters 2” has grossed a total of approximately $120 million (802 million RMB) after seven days in cinemas. The agency is predicting that the film could potentially earn up to $299 million (1.4 billion RMB) by the end of its run, making it one of the top ten highest-grossing movies of this year.

Comparing this year’s box office figures with last year at the same time is tricky because not all releases and weekends match up perfectly (as many new titles premiered on Tuesdays). However, the latest weekend’s earnings of $108 million fell short compared to the largest weekend component during last year’s National Day holiday, which totaled $168 million before dropping to $56 million in the second weekend. Additionally, the RMB1 billion mark was surpassed on the third day of this year’s seven-day holiday, while it was achieved on the second day last year, as reported by state media.

Over the weekend, the crime drama “Tiger Wolf Rabbit” came in second place, earning $19 million from approximately 18% of available movie screens. According to Maoyan, the film has amassed a total of 339 million RMB within just six days.

Over the weekend, Jackie Chan’s movie titled “Panda Plan” ranked third with a box office collection of $14 million. This was based on 15% of its total screenings, as reported by Artisan Gateway. As per Maoyan, the film has amassed a total of approximately RMB197 million after six days in theaters.

In the fourth spot, the movie “High Forces,” starring Andy Lau, brought in $10.5 million. Meanwhile, Lu Chuan’s film “Bureau 749” earned $8.1 million to claim fifth place during the weekend. According to Maoyan, after six days, it has amassed a total of RMB350 million.

This year, China’s box office has reached over $5 billion, but it is still falling short of the figures from 2023. According to Artisan Gateway, as of now, the total earnings stand at approximately $5.17 billion (equivalent to RMB36.7 billion). This figure represents a decrease of more than 22% when compared to the same period last year, which saw earnings of around $6.69 billion (or RMB47.5 billion).

2024-10-07 06:46

China Box Office: ‘Volunteers 2’ Dominates Holiday Weekend as Annual Total Reaches $5 Billion

Read More

Minority Mindset