Box Office

Chinese authorities hold absolute control over film distribution in the world’s largest film market, thanks to strict censorship, protectionist policies limiting the import of foreign content, and control over release dates. New data from Chinese sources show that control made life harder for foreign films in 2021. Foreign films can formally only be distributed in

Has “Spider-Man: No Way Home” finally met its match? After an impressive four-week streak at the top of domestic box office charts, Paramount’s slasher sequel “Scream” could give Sony’s latest Marvel web-slinging adventure a run for the No. 1 spot. The R-rated “Scream” is expected to generate a leading $25 million to $30 million from

Saudi Arabia in 2021 continued its exponential growth as a theatrical box office market with revenue totaling $238 million for the year, a 95% increase compared with 2020 when the total intake had been $122 million, according to figures provided by Comscore. Just four years after removal of the kingdom’s 35-year-old religion-related ban on movie

Disney’s upcoming animated fantasy comedy “Turning Red” is skipping the big screen, marking the third Pixar movie in a row to debut directly on Disney Plus. By the time “Turning Red” hits the streaming service on March 11, it’ll have been two years since a Pixar film — director Dan Scanlon’s magical adventure “Onward” in

Theatrical box office in Hong Kong more than doubled in 2021, but the outlook remains unstable, according to local trade body, the Motion Picture Industry Association. Gross revenues reached HK$1.21 billion in 2021, compared with just HK$536 million in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, last year’s total remained some 37% below

Another weekend, another chance for Sony’s superhero adventure “Spider-Man: No Way Home” to flex its box office dominance. The comic book sequel, starring Tom Holland as Marvel’s favorite neighborhood web-slinger, towered over domestic box office charts for the third weekend in a row. “No Way Home” captured $52.7 million over the New Year’s holiday frame,

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is unwrapping another big box office bounty on Christmas. The grand finale in Sony’s Tom Holland-led superhero trilogy added another $19.6 million from 4,336 domestic theaters on Friday, putting the film on pace to earn $92 million to $100 million over the traditional weekend. Those are huge box office receipts at

“Spider-Man: No Way Home’s” box office prowess knows no bounds. The latest entry in the Tom Holland-led trilogy will become the biggest movie of the year worldwide on Friday, Christmas Eve. It’s set to cross the $1 billion mark on Christmas Day. At 11 days, it would be the second-fastest time to hit that milestone

Locally-made films, especially animated titles, dominated the Japanese box office in 2021. The territory is usually the world’s third biggest cinema market, behind China and North America. Though official figures compiled by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren), will be not be announced until next month, numbers from the Pick Scene movie rankings

Has “Spider-Man” become Hollywood’s most important film franchise? One could rightfully say that, duh, Peter Parker is part of Marvel, the biggest entertainment brand, so…umm…yeah? But the web-slinging superhero has made a pretty good case for his omnipotence after “No Way Home,” the epic finale in the Tom Holland-led comic book trilogy, obliterated pandemic-era box

The South Korean government is expected to reintroduce significantly stricter control measures in response to a rising wave of COVID-19 cases. Film releases are expected to be affected. The government eased its restrictions at the beginning of November as part of a living with COVID policy. But, since then, case numbers have begun to rise.

South Korea’s nationwide box office dropped to a miserable $3.44 million over the weekend, despite the presence of a local film in top spot. The country ‘s cinemas earned 32% less than the previous weekend and are beginning to struggle with quota issues, according to local media. “Nothing Serious,” a Korean-made comedy romance, floated from

In 1961, “West Side Story”  dominated the box office and swept the Oscars. Now, six decades later, Steven Spielberg’s long-delayed remake of the beloved musical, in theaters on Friday, looks to also find itself in the awards race after receiving rapturous reviews. But the film’s commercial prospects may be less certain. On paper, the latest

Action-adventure film, “Schemes in Antiques” grabbed the top spot at the mainland China box office with a solid $25.6 million debut. It deposed crime comedy “Be Somebody” which had topped the chart for the past three weekends and earned $13.3 million in its fourth weekend, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. After 24 days

Without any new releases to pose a threat, Disney’s animated musical fable “Encanto” has again notched the No. 1 spot on domestic box office charts. In its second weekend of release, “Encanto” has collected $12.38 million from 3,980 venues in the U.S. and Canada. That marks a 54% drop from its debut and pushes the

As is fitting for the days after Thanksgiving, moviegoers are largely turning out for leftovers this weekend. “Encanto,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “House of Gucci” will retain the top three spots at the domestic box office, replicating the final standings of last weekend’s rankings. Disney’s “Encanto” is projected to gross $12.3 million from 3,980 locations in

“Spiritwalker,” a fantasy action film about a man who wakes up in a new body every twelve hours, grabbed the top spot at the South Korean box office over the weekend. It was one of three new films to get significant releases, a possible sign that Korea’s theatrical market is steadying. Directed by Yoon Jae-kyun,

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” has secured the best pandemic-era debut at the independent box office. With speciality offerings like “Licorice Pizza,” the key metric is per-theater-average rather than overall box office tally since its playing in very few locations. From only four theaters in the country — two in New York and two in

Almost 40 years after “Ghostbusters” became a smash hit — one that launched a lucrative franchise spanning film, television and video games — Sony is proving the business of busting ghosts need not be a relic of the past. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” the latest big-screen installment in the comedy sci-fi property, collected $44 million in its

Just after China’s long National Day holiday on Oct. 10, Chinese social media was plastered in red-and-gold memes and posts celebrating the annual box office to date hitting the $6.26 billion (RMB40 billion) mark. The tone was jubilant, celebrating the market’s triumph over the pandemic on the back of patriotic hit “The Battle at Lake

Disney release “Eternals” continued to rule the U.K. and Ireland box office for the second weekend in succession with £2.9 million ($3.9 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. The latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, now has a total of £10.5 million after two weekends. James Bond

Marvel’s comic book epic “Eternals” is once again dominating over domestic box office charts. In its second weekend of release, the superhero adventure has collected a leading $27.5 million from 4,090 North American theaters. Through Sunday, “Eternals” crossed the $100 million mark in the U.S. and Canada, with box office receipts at $118 million. Though

Paramount’s family-friendly adventure “Clifford the Big Red Dog” pulled in a solid $2.3 million on its first day in theaters. The film, which is playing simultaneously in 3,407 North American cinemas and on the streaming service Paramount Plus, opened on Wednesday to take advantage of the Veterans Day holiday weekend. It’s projected to generate $15

Disney’s “Eternals,” the latest installment in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe, will tower over the domestic box office when it debuts on Friday in more than 4,000 theaters. The comic book adaptation — starring Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie — is estimated to collect $75 million to $80 million

James Bond franchise movie “No Time to Die” claimed the honor of deposing record-breaking local film “The Battle At Lake Changjin” from the top of the Chinese box office, but 007’s unspectacular first day will leave studio and audiences neither shaken nor stirred. Throughout Friday, “No Time to Die” tracked comfortably at the top of

Director Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic “Dune” has collected promising ticket sales internationally, but will box office spice flow in North America? The Warner Bros. film, a big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel, opens in 4,100 theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Friday and is projected to generate $30 million to $40 million

In 2014, Fox Searchlight methodically rolled out “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” a twee pastiche of old-world Europe, in movie theaters across North America. The quirky comedic drama, from director Wes Anderson, had an opening that would be familiar to most indie films: playing in only four theaters (two in New York and two in Los

“The Battle at Lake Changjin” became the fourth most successful film in the world this year as it maintained its grip on the China box office for a second weekend. Even as the National Day holiday season wound to an end, “Changjin” scored $109 million over the weekend according to data from Artisan Gateway. That

“No Time To Die” kept its place at the top of the South Korean box office for the second weekend. But, with no significant new releases competing against the James Bond title, it was a hollow victory. The Universal-released “No Time To Die” earned $1.83 million in Korea on its second weekend of release, according

“No Time to Die,” the latest installment in the James Bond franchise, debuted to $56 million from 4,407 theaters at the domestic box office, a result that falls somewhat short of expectations and signals that even one of the most storied brands in film history is still being forced to contend with a moviegoing landscape