China Box Office: ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Holds Off ‘Cesium Fallout’
“Venom: The Last Dance” held top spot at the mainland China box office for the second consecutive weekend. It beat newly released Andy Lau-starring thriller “Cesium Fallout.”
“Venom: The Last Dance” earned RMB104 million ($14.6 million) over the weekend, according to data from consultancy service Artisan Gateway. That is more than 50% lower than its debut weekend, but still lifts the film to a $70.8 million cumulative after 12 days on release. That is a pace very similar to “Alien: Romulus” in China and could see “Venom” among the top three Hollywood films in China this year.
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Opening in second place, “Cesium Fallout” earned $9.8 million in its opening weekend. Produced through Hong Kong’s Edko Films and starring Hong Kongers Andy Lau and Karen Mok, the film (previously titled “Burning City” and “Fallout”) is billed as China’s first nuclear radiation disaster film. It was directed by Anthony Pun, with Alibaba Pictures handling the China release.
“The Unseen Sister,” the mystery drama film that is the first mainland China commercial effort from Myanmar-born, Taiwan-based director Midi Z. It earned $3.5 million (RMB25 million) on its second weekend for a nine-day cumulative of $18.5 million. The film also played in competition this week at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” the fourth “Harry Potter” film to re-release in as many weekends, followed closely behind. It earned RMB24.7 million or $3.4 million. Giant screen provider Imax said that $700, 000 of that total came from its screens.
Chinese horror film “Yuanyang Lou” took fifth place over the weekend. Directed by Wang Shenghe, the film earned $2.8 million in its opening weekend.
Artisan Gateway reported that the nationwide box office cam in at $43.7 million. That edged the year-to-date total to $5.45 billion, or some 21% below 2023 levels.
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