The Chinese-produced drama film “Stand by Me” has maintained its position at the top of the mainland China box office, while DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” debuted modestly in third place.
Following a slight boost from the Mid-Autumn Festival, the theatrical landscape in mainland China, which boasts a population of 1.3 billion and approximately 90,000 operational cinema screens, continued its downward trend that began in the second quarter. According to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway, the weekend box office revenue reached only $25.1 million from Friday to Sunday, marking the third-lowest weekend total of the year.
The National Film Administration reported that the Mid-Autumn Festival box office generated RMB 389 million ($55.2 million) from September 14 to 17. This figure is less than half of the RMB 803 million recorded during the same period in 2019, despite Chinese films capturing an impressive 85% market share. The slump in revenue is noteworthy, even with a record 1.36 million screening sessions held.
“Stand by Me,” which tells the story of two orphaned teenagers who support one another, grossed RMB 38.2 million ($5.4 million) in its second weekend, bringing its total to $29.2 million since its release on September 13. The film features Karry Wang, leader of the popular boy band TFBoys.
In second place, “Like a Rolling Stone,” a drama centering on a 50-year-old woman taking control of her life through a driving tour, earned RMB 26.3 million ($3.7 million), raising its total to $11.2 million over eight days.
“The Wild Robot” opened with RMB 22.7 million ($3.2 million), accumulating $3.7 million including previews.
The crime comedy-drama “A Frozen Rage,” which addresses social justice issues, claimed fourth place with earnings of $2.6 million, bringing its total to $10.9 million after eight days. Rounding out the top five, the drama “Enjoy Yourself,” focused on a divorced couple’s dispute over human embryo ownership, earned $1.8 million, totaling $6.8 million since its release on September 15.
Year-to-date, the cumulative box office stands at $4.86 billion, a staggering 22% decline compared to last year’s figures.
The coming weeks may be crucial in determining whether the Chinese box office can rebound. “Transformers One” is the only major film set for a traditional release in China, facing a short three-day window before losing screens to numerous Chinese titles timed for the National Day holiday crowd.
Starting Monday, September 30, the lineup will include “The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death,” the second installment of a war trilogy by renowned director Chen Kaige. This will be followed by several other local releases on October 1, including Ning Hao and Xu Lei’s comedy-drama “The Hutong Cowboy,” Lu Chuan’s sci-fi thriller “Bureau 749,” Liu Jiangjiang’s disaster drama “Give You A Candy,” and more, showcasing a diverse range of genres.
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