(THR) Universal’s F9 won its third consecutive weekend in China, adding $8.9 million for a $204.5 million running total, according to data from Artisan Gateway.Universal’s F9 won its third consecutive weekend in China, adding $8.9 million for a $204.5 million running total, according to data from Artisan Gateway.
The performance is Hollywood’s biggest in China during the pandemic era after Legendary’s Godzilla Vs. Kong topped out there with $188 million. Local ticketing app Maoyan projects F9 to run out of gas in China with around $215 million — a big number, but a dramatic downshift from the $392.8 million earned by franchise predecessor The Fate of The Furious in 2017. Bad reviews and John Cena’s Taiwan gaff have kept F9 stuck in mid-gear.
Japanese anime import Stand By Me Doraemon 2 earned $7.7 million in its second outing, narrowly beating Paramount’s A Quiet Place II, which took $7.1 million. Doraemon 2 has grossed $36.4 million while Quiet Place II has earned $29.2 million. The Paramount horror sequel stands a good chance of bettering the original A Quiet Place, which finished with $34.5 million in 2018.
Disney’s Cruella opened softly in China on Sunday, earning just $1.7 million. The Emma Stone-starring origin story has chalked up fairly positive social scores — 9.3 on Maoyan and 6.8 from Douban — which could help it exceed local analysts’ lowly projections. Maoyan, for example, currently forecasts the film to top out at just $5 million.
The next U.S. studio release in China will be Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway on Friday.
China’s total 2021 box office sales currently sit at $4.05 billion, down 7.5 percent from 2019, the last year of pre-pandemic box office normality.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter by Patrick Brzeski