Box Office

China’s Lunar New Year holiday brought in a record $1.2 billion (RMB7.8 billion) in ticket sales, making a tenth of the global 2020 box office in just six days. It marked the first time in Chinese film history that the country’s single-day box office exceeded RMB1 billion ($155 million) for five consecutive days. More than

Despite nearly six months of cinema closures due to COVID-19, China actually built nearly 6,000 more new screens in 2020, according to a new report from the country’s film authorities. The data contradicts the disastrous predictions made over the summer about the extent to which the pandemic would devastate the Chinese exhibition sector. China now

China made history this weekend with record sales of nearly $775 million (RMB50 billion) within the first three days of the Chinese New Year holiday, led by an incredible $424 million (RMB2.74 billion) debut from “Detective Chinatown 3.” This marked the first time the country’s national box office has ever broken RMB1 billion ($155 million)

The world’s largest film market is living up to its title with world-record-setting sales. “Detective Chinatown 3” shot past strong competition, as predicted, on its Chinese New Year opening day on Friday, notching a record-breaking $163 million (RMB1.05 billion) in sales despite poor word of mouth. The sum marks the highest ever opening day tally

“Detective Chinatown 3” lived up to its billing as the box office favorite over the Chinese New Year holiday period, with first day grosses passing $150 million by 4pm local time. Data from ticketing agency Maoyan showed the franchise comedy adventure film as clocking up RMB975 million of revenues, and claiming over 60% of the

Pixar animation “Soul” and Japanese anime “Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train” held station at the top of the South Korean box office for the second successive weekend. Still heavily under the influence of COVID conditions, nationwide overall takings remained anemic. The most recent weekend total weighed in at just $3.63 million, down from $3.92

In China’s second quiet weekend in a row with no notable new releases, Disney/Pixar’s “Soul” continued to hold its own, managing a sixth place finish after 45 days in theaters as local consumers looked ahead to the blockbuster bonanza of the upcoming Chinese New Year. The key week-long holiday, which runs from Feb. 12 to

Denzel Washington’s crime thriller “The Little Things” led domestic box office charts again, pulling in $2.1 million in its second weekend of release. Overseas, “The Little Things” collected $1.4 million in ticket sales from 20 countries. The R-rated film has made $7.8 million in the U.S. and Canada and $5.2 million internationally to date. Directed

Chart positions for the top five films remained largely unchanged over the weekend in China, as the Middle Kingdom’s box office returned to a familiar early-year torpor. Data from Artisan Gateway shows that aggregate revenues amounted to $32.8 million over the Friday to Sunday period, down from $37.5 million the previous weekend. But considering the

Pixar’s “Soul” was joined by Japanese hit sensation “Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train” at the top of the box office rankings in South Korea over the weekend to Jan. 31. Together they lifted nationwide theatrical revenues by 30% compared with the previous, dismal session. “Soul” held up very strongly in its second weekend of

Theatrical box office takings in Japan fell by 45% in 2020, compared with the previous year, as coronavirus took its toll on cinemagoing. But that makes Japan one of the most resilient major box office territories. Data published Wednesday by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren) show that total box office was $1.37

Mildly titillating romantic comedy “Big Red Envelope” topped the box office rankings in China as overall takings in the world’s biggest theatrical movie market amounted to a lowly $37.5 million over the weekend. The new release title may be intended as a critique of obsessions with money, gifting culture and societal status – red packets

Family drama film “A Little Red Flower” continued its dominance of China’s box office in 2021 with a third weekend on top of the charts. The weekend was, however, a typically quiet one for January, worth an aggregate $47.1 million according to exhibition and distribution consultancy, Artisan Gateway. While the individual films’ scores are modest,

“Wonder Woman 1984” led domestic box office charts for the third straight weekend without much in the way of competition. The superhero sequel nabbed $3 million between Friday and Sunday, bringing its total in the U.S. and Canada to $32.6 million. Overseas, the film grabbed $4.7 million for an international tally of $98.8 million. With

The coronavirus outbreak caused a 72% slump in theatrical box office in Hong Kong last year. It also caused audiences in the city to embrace a more diverse selection of films, especially those from Asia. Hong Kong traditionally has one of the world’s highest per capita cinema attendance rates. That means that in conventional years

Disney/Pixar’s “Soul” continues to charm China with sales of $13.8 million over its second weekend, more than double its $5.5 million Christmas debut, thanks to strong word of mouth. It was the highest-grossing foreign import of the New Year weekend, far outstripping “Wonder Woman 1984” and even Hayao Miyazaki’s older but beloved animation “Ponyo.” The

The New Year weekend rankings give a bizarre indication of the havoc currently being wreaked on the Korean box office by the coronavirus, audience caution and stay at home orders. For a start, a Hollywood title scored a rare victory. “Wonder Woman 1984,” the most recently released film of international significance, took the top spot

Cinema admissions in France, Europe’s biggest movie market, plunged 70% in 2020, compared with 2019, decimated by COVID-19, which saw French cinemas shutter for 176 days this year, France’s National Film Board (CNC) announced on Wednesday. Total ticket sales came in at 65.1 million, according to the CNC, 65.2 million according to Comscore, which valued

“Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train,” the animated film that has become the Japanese entertainment world tsunami of 2020, pushed its cumulative earnings to $313.7 million (JPY32.5 billion) over the Dec. 26-27 weekend. This makes the film that the biggest-ever box office hit in Japan, overtaking the previous record-holder, Miyazaki Hayao’s 2001 animated fantasy “Spirited

Hong Kong’s “Shock Wave 2” out-earned “Wonder Woman 1984” in China in just two days, topping the local box office this weekend with a $51.4 million debut, according to data from Maoyan. By the end of Christmas Day, “Shock Wave 2” had grossed $28.6 million (RMB187 million), more than the $23 million (RMB151 million) “Wonder

Christmas is often one of the most popular times of year to gather the family and watch a new movie, and this holiday was no different. The biggest distinction, however, is that the season’s biggest releases — “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Soul” — battled for streaming service subscribers rather than box office dollars. “Wonder Woman

Japan’s leading film distributor and exhibitor Toho Tuesday announced that it is upping the official box office total of the 2001 Miyazaki Hayao animation “Spirited Away” by $8.5 million to $304 million, the all-time record for any film in the Japanese market. The new figure includes revival screenings of the film this year in the

Chinese action comedy “Bath Buddy” topped the mainland China box office over the weekend with a $28.1 million opening splash. The box office performance came despite the film being in hot water behind the scenes. The Yi Zhenxing-directed film tells the improbable tale of a rich kid who loses his memory and instead ends up

Adam Aron, CEO and president of the AMC Entertainment theater chain, is opposing Warner Bros.’ plan to simultaneously release all of its 2021 movies on HBO Max and in theaters. Aron noted Thursday afternoon that he had backed Warner’s previous strategy, unveiled on Nov. 22, to roll out “Wonder Woman 1984” on Christmas Day on

AMC Entertainment Holdings has filed to raise up to $844 million by selling stock as the exhibitor struggles to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. The S-3 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said AMC plans to sell up to 200 shares at an estimated offering price of $4.22 per share, based on trading Nov.

In Hollywood these days, the only certainty is that nothing is certain. Already, the coronavirus pandemic has been responsible for some shocking developments in the film world: “Tenet” keeping its release date, “Wonder Woman 1984” debuting on HBO Max and “Mulan” eschewing U.S. theaters for Disney Plus, to name just a few. As the new

Body-swap horror comedy “Freaky” repeated as the winner of a seriously subdued U.S. box office with $1.2 million at 2,057 locations in North America. The Universal and Blumhouse Productions’ movie stars Vince Vaughn as a serial killer and Kathryn Newton as a low-profile high schooler who inadvertently switch bodies on Friday the 13th. “Freaky” has

War film “The Sacrifice” was the most watched title in Chinese theaters for the third consecutive weekend. It earned $9.2 million over the frame and extended its cumulative score to $150 million, since release on Oct. 23. Over the weekend just completed, U.S.-Canadian animation “Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups” bounced its way to second place with

Indoor movie theaters in Sacramento and San Diego will have to close due to those counties being moved back into the state’s most restrictive “purple” tier due to higher case rates of COVID-19. On Tuesday, the state’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Mark Ghaly, announced 10 counties that are being required to move

The National Association of Theatre Owners is imploring Congress to enact federal relief legislation to save local movie theaters hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. NATO said Monday that the situation is dire and noted that the industry cannot continue to operate in its current state. It pointed out that even in places where movie theaters