The Chinese comedy hit “Caliph” topped the Chinese box office over the weekend, taking in more than $300 million. But “Deadpool vs. Wolverine” also had one of Hollywood’s strongest openings in China so far this year.
“The Caliph,” a Chinese-produced comedy-drama about escaping poverty, grossed 364 million yuan ($51.3 million) in its second official weekend and third in the box office, according to data from consulting firm Artisan Gateway. Its total now stands at $317 million.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” grossed $23.9 million over the weekend. After its preview run, its total gross was $24.5 million. About $5 million of the weekend's total came from Imax screens.
It was the second-biggest opening weekend for any Hollywood film this year, surpassed only by “Godzilla x Kong,” a film produced by Wanda-owned Legendary Entertainment and operated by its Chinese subsidiary Legendary East. “Godzilla x Kong” grossed $44.6 million in its opening in China.
Other Hollywood debuts this year include “Inside Out 2” with $10.2 million, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” with $11.4 million, “Kung Fu Panda 4” with $14.7 million, “Despicable Me 4” with $17.7 million and “Dawn 2” with $19.9 million.
The Chinese film “The Traveler” grossed $12.8 million in third place during its first weekend.
“A Place Called Silence” took in $5.6 million in its fourth weekend in theaters. The film, which features a brutal depiction of school bullying, has grossed $174 million at the Chinese box office.
CMC Pictures' “Decoded” took fifth place with $5.4 million from promotional alone. The film is set to open on August 3.
The weekend’s theatrical gross was $113 million. That puts this year’s total past the $4 billion mark. But Artisan Gateway calculates that the $4.07 billion figure is about 15% below the 2023 total at the same point last year.
Chinese state media has sharply criticized foreign business news channel Bloomberg for reporting on China’s poor summer box office season. The Global Times accused Bloomberg of “political bias” and said its anchors “tried to exploit the current performance of China’s film market to cast a shadow over the Chinese economy.”
