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China’s box office for the weekend of March 21–23 saw “Ne Zha 2” maintaining its dominant position, while new releases made modest debuts.​

“Ne Zha 2” earned RMB85.7 million ($11.9 million) over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $2.081 billion, according to Artisan Gateway. In its eighth week, the animated blockbuster continues to captivate audiences. In Imax, “Ne Zha 2” added $1.8 million globally, a 41% drop from the previous weekend, increasing its global cume in the format to $158.2 million, with $154 million from China alone.​

Hanna Pictures’ “The River of Fury” debuted in second place with $2 million. Directed by Feng Yongqin, the film is a crime thriller where the mysterious disappearance of a woman is related to a series of murders.

“Detective Chinatown 1900”, from As One Production, continued its strong performance, securing third place with $1.9 million. The film’s cumulative gross now stands at $492.1 million.

Lian Ray Pictures’ “New Life” opened in fourth place,...

Zhu Yiran was aware there would be unique challenges ahead when he signed on to direct what’s being heralded as the first Chinese documentary to be shot in space.

Before and during the shoot for Shenzhou 13, Zhu and his team from the China Media Group Television Series and Documentary Center had to spend more than a month training three astronauts in the art of filmmaking. They also had to adapt 8K Uhd technology in order for their cameras to function in outer space, and then there were the daily snafus that only became apparent once shooting had started.

The film — which follows the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft’s mission into space from launch on October 15, 2021 to landing on April 15, 2022 — chronicles the daily tasks undertaken by astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, including space walks and maintenance onboard Tiangong space station, all shot by the astronauts themselves on cameras specially...

Detective Chinatown 1900 reinterprets familiar characters within a setting steeped in early 20th-century San Francisco. The film places its protagonists in a bustling Chinatown during a period marked by significant racial and immigration challenges.

The production employs detailed period sets and authentic costume design to evoke the atmosphere of the time, highlighting how communities dealt with social prejudices and systemic exclusion.

The narrative follows an investigation into a double homicide that unfolds against the backdrop of charged political debates and shifting cultural identities. The investigation reveals tensions between established American institutions and the lived realities of Chinese immigrants, prompting viewers to reconsider long-held perceptions of heritage and modernity.

Moments in the film capture the essence of international detective storytelling while drawing from Chinese cinematic traditions. This interplay is visible in the careful staging of investigative sequences, where visual storytelling techniques echo classic mystery narratives and accentuate the impact of racial discord.

China’s box office remained steady over the March 14–16 weekend, with “Ne Zha 2” continuing its dominant run at the top of the charts. The Cococartoon release grossed Rmb 148.3 million ($20.6 million), pushing its cumulative total to $2.064 billion, according to Artisan Gateway. The animated juggernaut continues to lead the market despite being in its seventh weekend of release.

Lionsgate’s “John Wick: Chapter 4” debuted in second place with $3.3 million. The Keanu Reeves-led action film also stars Donnie Yen.

“Detective Chinatown 1900,” from As One Production, remained in third place, earning $3 million over the weekend. The latest addition to the comedy-mystery franchise has now reached a cumulative total of $488.8 million, continuing its strong run.

Lian Ray Pictures’ “Always Have Always Will” finished in fourth place with $2.2 million, bringing its total to $6.7 million (Rmb 47.9 million). The romantic drama has maintained a steady audience since its debut last weekend.

Rounding out the top five,...

China’s record-smashing animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 has brought a much-needed burst of enthusiasm to Beijing’s beleaguered film industry. An irreverent twist on Chinese mythology and a classic 16th-century novel, the sequel has earned $2.03 billion and smashed virtually every box office record that exists for an animated feature: It is the highest-grossing animated film of all time (overtaking Pixar’s Inside Out 2 at $1.7 billion) and the top-earning movie ever in a single market. Ne Zha 2‘s success also follows a bruising post-pandemic period for China’s film business. In 2024, annual ticket revenue in the country crashed 23 percent to $5.8 billion, the lowest total in a decade, leaving many in the industry worrying that the country’s youth may have deserted the cinema for good in favor of free forms of mobile entertainment. In the wake of the Ne Zha 2 phenomenon, much of China’s filmmaking community...

UK-based, pan-European distributor Trinity CineAsia has acquired theatrical rights from Beijing Enlight Media for record-breaking Chinese animation Ne Zha 2 across 37 territories, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, France and Spain.

The film has grossed more than $2Bn, overtaking Inside Out 2, and ranking sixth among the highest-grossing films worldwide, behind Avatar, Avatar: The Way Of Water, Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Titanic.

A theatrical release in UK and Ireland has been set for March 21 with previews from March 14. Other European releases will follow with theatrical outings expected for France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Benelux and Scandinavian territories. Trinity CineAsia managing director Cedric Behrel told Deadline that he plans to give the film a theatrical release in as many other European territories as possible.

It’s understood that streaming rights for the film are being negotiated separately. Four Hong Kong companies – Intercontinental Film Distributors, Emperor Motion Pictures, Mandarin Films...

Chinese film Ne Zha 2, which has taken more than $2bn at the global box office and become the highest-grossing animated feature of all time, has landed distribution in 37 territories across Europe including the UK and Ireland.

UK-based distributor Trinity CineAsia has secured theatrical distribution rights from Beijing Enlight Media and will begin with previews of the blockbuster in UK-Ireland cinemas from March 14 before opening on more than 200 screens on March 21.

A full list of territories and release dates has yet to be revealed but Screen understands it will next open in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Benelux and Scandinavia.

It...

China’s box office maintained its robust pace, with “Ne Zha 2” continuing to dominate. The Cococartoon release grossed RMB274.9 million ($38.2 million) over the March 3–9 period, bringing its cumulative total to $2.04 billion, according to Artisan Gateway. The animated epic has become the first Chinese film to surpass $2 billion at the box office, marking a historic milestone.

“Ne Zha 2” also continued its record-breaking run in Imax. The film added $4.2 million in Imax earnings over the week, pushing its cumulative total in the format to $148 million in China and $150.6 million worldwide. This achievement has elevated “Ne Zha 2” to 6th place in the all-time Imax rankings, surpassing “Interstellar” ($145 million), “Avengers: Infinity War” ($145.8 million), and “Dune 2” ($146.5 million). The film is set for further expansion with Imax releases planned in the U.K., Ireland, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand in the coming weeks.

“Ne Zha 2” has also passed “Avengers: Infinity War...

China’s box office continued to be dominated by “Ne Zha 2,” which grossed RMB471.9 million ($65.5 million) over the Feb. 28–March 2 weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $1.98 billion, according to Artisan Gateway. The Cococartoon release is closing in on the $2 billion milestone with sustained audience interest.

“Ne Zha 2” also continued to set new benchmarks in Imax. The animated phenomenon added $7.6 million in Imax earnings over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total in the format to $144 million. The film has now surpassed 15 million Imax admissions in China alone, making it one of the top four most attended Imax movies of all time globally. Since the start of the Lunar New Year period, Imax titles have collectively reached a cumulative total of $160 million, with “Ne Zha 2” accounting for the lion’s share of that figure.

In second place, As One Production’s “Detective Chinatown 1900” added $6.9 million to its total,...

Worldwide box office: February 21-23 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Ne Zha 2(various) $156.7m $1.80bn $153.6m $1.79bn 5 2. Captain America: Brave New World(Disney) $63.5m $289.4m $35.3m $148.2m 53 3. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy(various) $21.0m $72.6m $21m $72.6m 75 4. The Monkey(various) $20.9m $20.9m $6.7m $6.7m 42 5. Chhaava(various) $17.8m $54.1m $16.3m $49.3m 22 6. Paddington In Peru(Sony) $14.2m $150.3m $7.7m $125m 56 7. Detective Chinatown 1900(various) $11.9m $456.0m $11.9m $454.9m 9 8. Dog Man(Universal) $9.8m $105.0m $3.9m $26.2m 53 9. Mufasa: The Lion King(Disney) $6.9m $698.7m $4.4m $453.3m 53 10. Dragon(various) $4.8m $4.8m $4.2m $4.2m 13

Credit: Comscore.

China’s box office remained firmly in the grip of “Ne Zha 2,” which continued its extraordinary run, grossing Rmb 1.1 billion ($152.9 million) over the Feb. 21–23 weekend, according to Artisan Gateway.

The Enlight Pictures/Cococartoon release has now amassed $1.89 billion in the Middle Kingdom since its debut on Jan. 29, further cementing its place as the most successful film in Chinese box office history.

“Ne Zha 2” is also rewriting Imax records. The film added $15.2 million in Imax earnings over the weekend, bringing its global Imax cume to $131 million in just 26 days. It is now the ninth highest-grossing Imax release of all time and the highest-grossing animated Imax film ever, surpassing “The Polar Express” by 69%, a record that stood for over two decades. Imax’s Lunar New Year slate has now reached $150 million, with “Ne Zha 2” accounting for the overwhelming majority.

In second place, As One Production’s “Detective Chinatown 1900” added $11.7 million,...

China’s box office remained strong post-Lunar New Year, with “Ne Zha 2” continuing its historic run. The Enlight release earned RMB1.98 billion ($275.3 million) over the Feb. 14–16 weekend, bringing its total to $1.64 billion, according to Artisan Gateway.

The animated epic not only remains the dominant title in the market but is also rewriting record books for Imax. “Ne Zha 2” contributed $22 million to Imax’s weekend total in China, marking a 21% increase from last weekend. The film has now reached $104 million in Imax earnings through Sunday ($106 million through Monday), making it the highest-grossing Imax release in China of all time, surpassing “Avengers: Endgame” ($83.5 million). Globally, it becomes just the 16th title ever to surpass $100 million in Imax gross box office. The film’s $22 million Imax haul over the weekend is now the third-highest third-weekend global performance for a single Imax title, trailing only “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avatar: The Way of Water...

Worldwide box office: February 14-16 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Ne Zha 2(various) $279.6m $1.64bn $272.4m $1.63bn 4 2. Captain America: Brave New World(Disney) $180.9m $180.9m $92.4mm $92.4mm 53 3. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (various) $32.8m $34.3m $32.8m $34.3m 73 4. Detective Chinatown 1900 (various) $26m $443.5m $26m $441.6m 8 5. Paddington In Peru (various) $20.3m $128.8m $7.3m $115.8m 54 6. Chhaava (various) $19.1m $19.1m $17.3m $17.3m 21 7. Dog Man (Universal) $13.9m $84.5m $4.2m $17.6m 48 8. Heart Eyes (Sony) $10m $22.5m 1 9. Mufasa: The Lion King (Disney) $10m $686.3m $5.8m $445.5m 53 10. God Save The Tuche(various) $5m $15.4m $5m $15.4m 2

Credit: Comscore.

Worldwide box office: February 14-16 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Ne Zha 2(various) $279.6m $1.64bn $272.4m $1.63bn 4 2. Captain America: Brave New World(Disney) $180.9m $180.9m $92.4mm $92.4mm 53 3. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (various) $32.8m $34.3m $32.8m $34.3m 73 4. Detective Chinatown 1900 (various) $26m $443.5m $26m $441.6m 8 5. Paddington In Peru (various) $20.3m $128.8m $7.3m $115.8m 54 6. Chhaava (various) $19.1m $19.1m $17.3m $17.3m 21 7. Dog Man (Universal) $13.9m $84.5m $4.2m $17.6m 48 8. Heart Eyes (Sony) $10m $22.5m 1 9. Mufasa: The Lion King (Disney) $10m $686.3m $5.8m $445.5m 53 10. God Save The Tuche(various) $5m $15.4m $5m $15.4m 2

Credit: Comscore.

Hong Kong Filmart prides itself on the fact that each year it alerts the global entertainment industry to which way the winds of the content business are flowing across Asia.

So expect much attention going into this year’s 29th in-person edition of the event to be on what’s happening online and, specifically, the event’s decision to sharpen its digital platform into what organizers are describing as “a comprehensive IP Catalogue.”

Whereas the primary focus of the online platform across previous editions was on “exhibition planning and operation” — meaning it functioned “like an online booth” — this new format will allow exhibitors “to showcase their projects in detail, creating a more efficient marketplace for IP trading,” according to event organizers, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (Hktdc).

It will also help those heading to Hong Kong to prepare for what’s ahead. While the physical edition of Filmart is...

An unexpected movie has seemingly come out of nowhere to make history at the box office. "Seemingly" is doing a fair amount of work there because, for movie fans living in China, the animated sequel "Ne Zha 2" has become a cultural cinematic event like no other. Not just in China, mind you, but it's become bigger in some respects than any other movie in history. Yes, really.

Over the weekend, director Yu Yang's blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" added $250.6 million to its already staggering total, bringing its haul to $1.08 billion as of Monday morning. Keep in mind that the movie was only released on January 29, meaning it has done all of this in about two weeks. It has become the first movie ever to make more than $1 billion in a single country, and passed "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" ($936.6 million) to become the biggest movie ever in a single marketplace.

Worldwide box office: February 7-9 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Ne Zha 2 (various) $250.6m $1.08bn $250.6m $1.08bn 1 2. Detective Chinatown 1900 (various) $36.7m $386.5m $36.3m $384.8m 9 3. Dog Man (Universal) $20.2m $66m $6.5m $11.9m 42 4. Mufasa: The Lion King (Disney) $12.4m $671.1m $8.5m $435.9m 53 5. Bonie Bears Future Reborn (various) $9.2m $86.6m $9.2m $86.6m 1 6. Heart Eyes (Sony) $8.5m $8.5m 1 7. Creation Of The Gods II: Demon Force (various) $8m $156.6m $8m $155.3m 11 8. Paddington In Peru (various) $7.5m $104m $7.5m $104m 53 9. Love Hurts (Universal) $6.8m $6.8m $1m $1m 32 10. Companion (Warner Bros) $6.7m $26.7m $3.7m $11.2m 66

Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates.

China’s box office continued its strong Lunar New Year momentum, with “Ne Zha 2” dominating the charts for the second consecutive week. The Enlight Pictures release grossed RMB1.92 billion ($267.1 million) during the Feb. 3–9 period, bringing its cumulative total to $1.11 billion, according to Artisan Gateway.

In the process, the animated sequel torched several records. It became the highest-grossing film in the country’s history, easily surpassing the previous record held by the 2021 war epic “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” which earned $802 million, and speeding past previous holders “Wolf Warriors 2” (2017, $791 million) and 2021’s “Hi, Mom” that collected $752 million.

The record run also saw “Ne Zha 2” toppling the $936.7 million haul of “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” in North America, making it the biggest single-market box office champion of all time.

In second place, As One Production’s “Detective Chinatown 1900” added $38.1 million to its total, pushing its cumulative earnings to $388.6 million.

There are more box office records for Imax coming out of the just-concluded Chinese New Year holiday with the company notching its biggest ever haul for the annual period. Grossing $53M, Imax exceeded its previous record of $34M, set in 2023, by a huge 57%.

Imax also delivered its highest attendance ever for the Chinese New Year, with 5.5M admissions nationwide, and its best market share ever during the lucrative frame, repping 4.3% of the box office on only 1% of screens.

When the holiday kicked off last week, Imax scored a Cny day-one record, and its biggest percentage of the first-day results ever.

As we reported earlier today, the Spring Festival, as the holiday is also known, set an overall box office record with Rmb 9.51B ($1.3B) from January 28-February 4. Animated sequel Ne Zha 2 led all play with Imax’s portion of the gross landing at $36M. The film also scored the...

Imax has posted a record high of $53 million in box office over China’s Lunar New Year period, with the animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 leading the way with $36 million in ticket sales on its giant screens.

Imax during the week to Feb. 4 rode the strength of China’s own New Year box office hitting a new record of $1.3 billion for the peak moviegoing period. Imax, with 5.5 million admissions to its theaters during the week, powered past its previous Chinese New Year box office record of $34 million set in 2023.

Enlight Pictures’ animated sequel Nezha 2, directed by Yu Yang, across China earned $434 million in takings over the Lunar New Year period and is on track to overtake the war film The Battle at Lake Changjin ($913 million) as China’s biggest blockbuster of all time. Ticketing app Maoyan has projected Nezha 2 to climb as high as $944 million in box office,...

China’s film market enjoyed a record-breaking Lunar New Year, amassing a staggering RMB9.51 billion ($1.31 billion) in total box office revenue over the seven-day holiday period ending Feb. 4, according to a new report from Maoyan Research Institute. With 187 million tickets sold, the lucrative holiday window set an all-time high for the period.

The number easily surpassed the 2024 record of $1.09 billion.

Imax also saw its most successful Lunar New Year yet, generating $53 million in box office receipts – an increase of 57% over its previous record of $34 million in 2023. The premium format exhibitor logged its highest-ever holiday attendance, with 5.5 million moviegoers flocking to Imax screens.

Leading the charge was Enlight Media’s “Ne Zha 2,” which dominated the competition with a formidable $665.7 million to become the highest-grossing Lunar New Year title in history. The sequel to 2019’s runaway animated hit also notched a massive $36 million in Imax, securing the biggest opening weekend ever...

The Chinese film industry celebrated an extraordinary Lunar New Year with the animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” leading a record-breaking box office performance. The film generated an impressive Rmb 9.51 billion ($1.3 billion) between January 28 and February 4, marking a significant turnaround for the country’s entertainment sector.

“Ne Zha 2” emerged as the clear winner, earning Rmb 4.84 billion ($665.7 million) in its first week alone. The animated sequel has already claimed the title of highest-grossing animated film in a single market, outperforming Disney-Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” despite lower average ticket prices.

The film is on track to make global box office history. If it reaches its projected final gross of Rmb 8.7 billion ($1.2 billion), it will become the first film to cross the $1 billion mark in a single market, potentially surpassing the North American record set by “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.”

Directed by Yu Yang and based on the...

Ushering in the Year of the Snake, China’s Spring Festival 2025 has set a new record for box office during the annual holiday period. Total Mainland grosses reached Rmb 9.51B ($1.3B) from January 28-February 4. This outstrips the previous record of Rmb 8.02B.

The new milestone was expected once Chinese New Year turnstiles kicked into gear in earnest on January 29, with the biggest gross for a single day in China at Rmb 1.8B ($247.5M) across all titles. Momentum did not falter over the following week, with each day through yesterday clocking more than Rmb 1B ($137.5M).

The total number of tickets sold during the frame (also referred to as Spring Festival and Lunar New Year) was a record 187M, according to Maoyan.

Notably and massively leading play is Ne Zha 2 which grossed Rmb 4.84B ($665.6M) through yesterday. This is...

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It's still pretty early into 2025, but January is in the books and we have at least a few new movies out in the world. All things considered, it was a pretty quiet month at the box office, with movies like "Wolf Man" falling short of expectations. That's in North America though. Elsewhere in the world, namely China, theaters are overflowing with patrons who are eager to see what wonders await them in the cinema. In particular, an animated sequel now stands as by far the biggest movie of the year overall -- and it's not even remotely close.

"Ne Zha 2," the sequel to 2019's blockbuster "Ne Zha," debuted this past weekend in China. To say that it had a big opening would be a dramatic understatement. Over the Lunar New Year holiday in the country, the animated film opened...

The Hong Kong box office took $3.9m (Hk$30.6m) over five days from January 28-February 1, down 37.1% on the same five-day Lunar New Year period in 2024 and 59.3% down on pre-Covid 2019.

The Hong Kong Box Office, which released the data, said that the results were disappointing and hoped that more people would go to the cinemas to support Chinese New Year releases.

Two Hong Kong comedies took the top two places. Hit N Fun topped the chart with $959,715 (Hk$7.47m) from Tuesday to Saturday, while My Best Bet ranked second with $744,693 (Hk$5.8m).

Hit N Fun follows a boxing trainer who helps...

Hungarian outfitLuminescence has acquired worldwide rights to Animotion Media Group’s Finnick 2 and will launch sales at the EFM in Berlin next week.

The family sequel follows the titular character as he accidentally awakens the magic of an ancient walking stick and loses the ability to be invisible, endangering all the finns in the world. Finnick and Christine embark on an adventure to regain his powers and save his people.

Luminescence will overseeglobal theatrical rollout on the follow-up to the 2022 original and will share materials with buyers in Berlin.

Julia Nikolaeva, general manager of Animotion Media, said: “The overwhelming love...

The Chinese box office hit a record high over Lunar New Year with animation Ne Zha 2 and prequel Detective Chinatown 1900 helping deliver a total gross of more than $1.1bn (RMB8bn) over six days from January 29 to February 3

The Year of the Snake made a strong start last Wednesday (January 29), the first day of the holidays, with takings of $250m (RMB1.8bn), up 35% on 2024 and the biggest single day gross ever in China – beating the previous record of $235m (RMB1.69bn) from 2021.

Six new local titles were released over the period and the total gross is expected to...

Action comedy Hitman 2 rose to the top of the Korea box office during the Lunar New Year holidays, claiming 39% of ticket sales.

The sequel earned $2.8m from more than 450,000 admissions from Friday to Sunday (January 31 to February 2). Released on January 22, it has generated a cume of $12.7m from nearly 2 million admissions to date, according to Kobis, the Korean Film Council’s box office tracking service.

Kwon Sang-woo reprises his role as a secret agent-turned-webtoon artist. The first film, Hitman: Agent Jun, took $14.1m when released in January 2020, a couple of months before the pandemic lockdown.

After leading the box office the previous weekend,...

Worldwide box office: January 31-February 2 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Ne Zha 2(various) $283.6m $416.3m $283.6m $416.3m 1 2. Detective Chinatown1900(various)

$129.4m $247.4m $128.7m $246.3m 8 3. Creation Of The Gods II: Demon Force(various) $42.9m $125.1m $41.6m $123.8m 10 4. Dog Man(Universal) $40.2m $40.6m $4.2m $4.6m 31 5. Boonie Bears Future Reborn(various) $25.6m $56.5m $25.6m $56.5m 1 6. Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants(various) $21m $74.6m $21m $74.6m 3 7. Mufasa: The Lion King(Disney) $17.8m $653m $11.7m $423.5m 53 8. Companion(Warner Bros) $15m $15m $5.5m $5.5m 61 9. Operation Handal(various) $13m $35.4m $13m $35.4m 1 10. Sonic The Hedgehog 3...

The Chinese box office experienced a massive boost over the Lunar New Year holiday, with five major releases propelling weekend earnings to $536.9 million, according to Artisan Gateway.

The five-day holiday frame delivered a cumulative total of $1.24 billion for 2025, marking a 234.1% increase from the same period last year, driven by strong debuts and record-setting performances in Imax.

Enlight Pictures’ “Ne Zha 2” led the charge, opening to RMB2.16 billion ($300 million) in its two-day debut. The sequel to the 2019 animated hit follows the mythological hero in a new fantasy adventure, continuing the franchise’s dominance at the Chinese box office. Its cumulative gross has already reached $434.2 million, making it the undisputed leader of the holiday period. The film also led the Imax box office, generating $22.1 million, making it the fastest Imax release to surpass RMB100 million in China and the 13th highest-grossing local-language film in Imax history.

The five-day opening for “Ne Zha 2...

Bouncing back from a major slowdown in 2024, China’s theatrical box office is generating boffo business again. Ticket sales revenue in the country has totaled $978 million since the Chinese New Year holiday kicked off Jan. 29, a 27.3 percent compared to the first five days of last year’s holiday.

Enlight Pictures’ animated sequel Nezha 2 is powering the huge numbers. The film, directed by Yu Yang, has earned $434 million and is on track to overtake the war film The Battle at Lake Changjin ($913 million) as China’s biggest blockbuster of all time. Ticketing app Maoyan currently projects Nezha 2 to climb as high as $944 million (6.8 billion Rmb). The first Nezha film became China’s biggest animated hit ever with $699.3 million performance in 2019.

Wanda Pictures’ comedy-mystery franchise installment Detective Chinatown 1900, co-directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo, opened in second place with $253.1 million over the first five days of the Cny.

China began ushering in the Year of the Snake last Wednesday, as local audiences sank their teeth into a host of new films with record-breaking gusto. The trend continued throughout the weekend with grosses for all films in release (including holdovers) reaching Rmb 7B ($965.4M) from Wednesday-Sunday, according to Maoyan. The Chinese New Year holiday was extended this year and runs through February 4, meaning it’s possible that 2025 becomes the biggest Lunar New Year period ever at the local box office.

This has also been a record-breaking few days for Imax which saw five of the new Chinese films released in the format adding up to $38.1M through Sunday in China. That’s already the biggest Cny ever for Imax, besting 2023’s $34M, and with two days left in the stretch.

Overall, as we noted on Wednesday, Enlight’s animated fantasy adventure sequel Ne Zha 2 from director Yu Yang...

Mainland China stars Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran reunite for a fourth round of high-stakes snooping in Detective Chinatown 1900. The twist this time is that they are playing ancestral versions of the characters they have portrayed in three previous blockbuster installments. Switching the action from contemporary diaspora districts to turn-of-the-century San Francisco, the film throws the duo together to investigate a double murder that could trigger an all-out nationwide race war.

Chief among the big names joining our intrepid sleuths are Hong Kong legend Chow Yun-fat, as Chinatown’s unofficial kingpin, and John Cusack, who plays a scheming politician whose daughter is a murder victim.

Detective Chinatown 1900 is part of a clutch of tentpole Chinese offerings releasing around the world this week as part of the Lunar New Year festivities, which has become the mainland’s most fruitful frame at the box office in recent years. On day...

Warner Bros horror Companion leads new releases at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend in 561 cinemas.

Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid star in the dark comedy about a weekend away that goes wrong when a human android, built for companionship, reveals itself. It marks the feature debut of Drew Hancock while further cast include Rupert Friend, Lukas Gage and Jaboukie Young-White.

Thatcher most recently starred in fellow horror title Heretic which surpassed £6m late last year and Quaid had a role in 2023’s Oppenheimer (£60m). Companionis produced by Zach Cregger who wrote and directed Barbarian which cracked £1m...

Chinese New Year box office started with a bang today in China, as Maoyan estimates 1.8B yuan ($248.3M) was generated for all films on day-one of the holiday period. This would mark a new milestone that well exceeds 2021’s previous first-day New Year record of 1.69M yuan.

For its part, Imax topped itself on Wednesday, seeing a Cny day-one record-breaking haul of $12M, besting its previous high of $11M in 2021. With 5% of the Cny box office so far, and on less than 1% of total screens, Imax captured its biggest percentage of the first-day results ever. Attendance for Imax was also at a new peak with 1.2M admissions nationwide.

The No. 1 title ushering in the Year of the Snake on Wednesday was Enlight’s Ne Zha 2, the follow up to 2019’s animated hit, with 486.6M yuan ($67.1M). In Imax, it grossed $2.5M.

Behind Ne Zha 2 at No. 2 for the day is...

Disney’s “A Complete Unknown” held its spot at the top of the U.K. and Ireland box office for a second weekend, earning £1.6 million ($2 million), according to numbers from Comscore. The cumulative total of the Bob Dylan biopic, starring Timothée Chalamet, now stands at $7.3 million.

In second place, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” added $1.7 million in its sixth weekend, raising its total to $34.7 million. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” from Paramount remained steady in third, collecting $1.09 million during its fifth weekend and pushing its total to $29 million.

Lionsgate U.K.’s “Flight Risk,” directed by Mel Gibson and starring Mark Wahlberg, debuted in fourth place with a solid $1.01 million. Universal’s awards season favorite “The Brutalist” debuted in fifth, earning $938,452 in its opening weekend.

Universal’s “Nosferatu” dropped to sixth with $666,526 in its fourth weekend. The gothic horror reboot has reached $15.1 million overall and continues to attract genre enthusiasts.

The fourth installment in China’s wildly popular Detective Chinatown action comedy franchise has locked down day-and-date theatrical release plans in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. The highly anticipated feature will open around the world on Jan. 29, the same date it unfurls at home in China on the first day of the lucrative Lunar New Year holiday.

The previous three films in the franchise — spanning 2015-2021 and all directed by Chen Sicheng — collectively earned over $1.3 billion in cinemas, with the vast majority coming from the domestic Chinese market.

The new title, Detective Chinatown 1900, is co-directed by Chen and Dai Mo. Detective Chinatown favorites Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran both return to star, along with franchise newcomer Chow Yun Fat. The film is a prequel that takes audiences back to turn-of-the-century San Francisco. The supporting cast includes Hollywood actor John Cusack, Yue Yunpeng (Full River Red), Steven Zhang (Endless Journey...