“Barbie” amazing box office opening in the US
China’s box office performance is comparable to China, far from it.
Greta Gerwig’s Warner Bros. blockbuster debuted to just $8 million in China and finished fifth at the weekend, trailing a host of local Chinese hits. In North America, the film debuted at the record-breaking $1 million box office.
The soft launch of Barbie continues the trend of Hollywood movies earning much less in China than before. Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1
had a disastrous premiere in China last weekend, finishing third behind two Chinese contestants.
Despite tepid sales, Barbie has been going strong word of mouth. Maoyan’s social score is 9.4, Tao Piao Piao’s social score is 9.3, and Douban’s social score is 8.6. Good word-of-mouth appeared to give Barbie
a small boost on Monday, climbing to No. 3 in sales for the day.
Over the weekend, though, Barbie
faced some strong local competition. Opening film “Fengshen Trilogy,” the opening film to historical fantasy epic “Fengshen Trilogy,” opened on Thursday and topped the box office Friday-Sunday with $6 million. Directed by Wu Ershan ( Huapi ) and executive produced by Kong Bier ( Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ), “Fengshenzhichuangshi” is one of the most visually ambitious Chinese films in recent years, on par with The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. It has already made 53 $7 million, including Thursday’s box office take. Considering the industry’s anticipation for the franchise for years, the franchise’s opening box office was more than explosive.
Chaser Animation’s Chang’an
added 20 $6 million in its third weekend in theaters, bringing its total to 40 million dollars, making it one of the most successful original animated films ever made in China. Third place went to Wonder Family (Moon Man, Goodbye Mr. Loser) from popular comedy group Twist Happy Hour. The box office revenue for the first three days was 40 US$3 million. Wang Baoqiang’s latest hit, “Never Say Never ,” slipped to No. 4 in its third week, adding $6 million to a strong 1235537984 million-dollar gross. 1235537984
