“Alien: Romulus” has become the second-biggest Hollywood film of the year at the Chinese mainland box office, after maintaining strong earnings in its second weekend.
The film grossed 140 million yuan ($19.7 million) between Friday and Sunday in China, according to data from consulting firm Artisan Gateway. That compares favorably with its opening weekend of $26.2 million and gives it a total of 523 million yuan ($73.7 million) since its August 16 release.
Among Hollywood's imported titles in 2024, only the Chinese-backed “Godzilla vs. Kong” will top its current box office total, with $134 million.
In less than two weeks, “Alien” has soared above a slew of other Hollywood franchises, surpassing the $50 million threshold that most films have been stuck under. “Kung Fu Panda 4” made $52 million in China. “Despicable Me 4” made $56 million. “Dune 2” made $49.7 million. “Inside Out 2” made $48 million.
IMAX reports that the film made $2.75 million of its total theatrical revenue last weekend. Ten days later, “Alien Romulus” has made $11.6 million in big-screen theaters, or about 16 percent of its total in China.
Opening the box office was Gu Chang-wei's light drama “Hedgehog,” about the friendship between a rebellious, stuttering teenager and his mentally disabled uncle. The film stars popular actor Ji Yu (of “Let the Bullets Fly” and “If You're the One”) and TFBoys member Cary Wang (real name Wang Junkai) (along with Jackson Yee and Roy Wang). The film grossed 74.4 million yuan (US$105 million).
In second place was another new Chinese film, “Untouchable,” which grossed 73.4 million yuan ($10.3 million). The crime drama is directed by Wang Daqing and stars Shen Ting, Zhang Yuqi, and Jack Cao.
Chinese crime thriller “Go for Broke” dropped to fourth place in its second weekend after opening, taking in $7.1 million between Friday and Sunday. The film, which tells the story of revenge against a group of drug dealers, has grossed $33.4 million in 10 days.
In its second week of release in China, the Japanese animated film “Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram” grossed $4.8 million. After ten days, its total revenue reached $29.2 million.
Local data sources indicate that the Thai hit comedy-drama “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” opened outside the top five with an estimated $4.4 million in three days.
Artisan Gateway reports that the nationwide box office total was $70.8 million over the weekend. That brings the total so far this year to $4.62 billion, down 21% from the equivalent figure in 2023.
