Maxtime Pictures’ “Her Story,” a comedy-drama film told from a largely female perspective, topped the mainland China box office for the third consecutive weekend. Disney’s “Moana 2,” which had debuted in second place, dropped to third.
Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway showed “Her Story” sliding from its previous weekend’s showing by earning RMB90.1 million ($12.7 million) between Friday and Sunday. The film now has a cumulative total of $76.3 million in the Middle Kingdom, a number that slightly differs from the $74.8 million figure reported by Comscore.
“Her Story” is directed by Shao Yihui (2021’s “B For Busy”). Its fast-paced story focuses on two women – one a recently unemployed single mom, the other a new neighbor who is more troubled than she appears – who become friends. Together they face up to various relationship challenges, including an abusive ex-husband and new romantic possibilities.
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Dimension Films’ “Burning Stars” debuted in second place with $7 million. Directed by Xu Zhanxiong (“Sea of Stars,” Golden Rooster award winner “The Pioneer,” Golden Crane award winner “Wild Grass”), the historical fiction action-drama follows a group of young students who embark on a top-secret mission, using themselves as bait to achieve an evacuation operation. The cast includes Roy Wang (“Ray of Light”), Sophie Zhang (“She’s Got No Name”), Connor Leong (“Song of Life”) and Li Chen (“Bureau 749”).
“Moana 2” earned $3.6 million over the weekend in third place and has a cumulative total of $11 million in the territory. In fourth place was Tamil-language Indian film “Maharaja,” from The Route. Directed by Nithilan Saminathan, the film stars Vijay Sethupathi, with Indian auteur Anurag Kashyap continuing his acting sojourn in Tamil films, playing the antagonist. The film grossed slightly more than its debut frame, earning $2.8 million over the weekend and now has a cumulative total of $7.6 million.
A highly anticipated film makes it to the top five by dint of advance ticket bookings. Emperor Motion Pictures’ “The Last Dance,” due to release Dec. 14, has already scored $2 million in ticket sales. Directed by up-and-coming Hong Kong filmmaker Anselm Chan, the film follows a cash-strapped former wedding planner and a stern old Taoist priest who become unlikely partners in the funeral business. It boasts an all-star cast headed by Cantonese comedy icons Dayo Wong (“Table for Six”) and Michael Hui (“Security Unlimited,” “Where the Wind Blows”).
The film has broken records in Hong Kong as the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in the territory. It played recently at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
The nationwide weekend box office was $39.8 million and the year-to-date running total is $5.74 billion. That is still 21% below the same point in 2023.