China Box Office: Local Drama ‘Moments We Shared’ Crushes ‘Inside Out 2’ and ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ Debuts
Feelgood local movie “Moments We Shared” ran off to a dominant win at the mainland China box office, despite releasing only on Saturday.
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If ever there was need of further evidence of Hollywood’s diminished power with Chinese audiences, this weekend provided it. “Moments’” win came at the expense of two U.S. films – Pixar animation “Inside Out 2” and action franchise “Bad Boys 4” – that have performed well in other markets.
“Inside Out 2” got a head start and opened conventionally on Friday with a decent $2.32 million that temporarily put it in first place. Its Saturday total increased to $4.3 million and retreated slightly to $3.44 million on Sunday for a weekend total of $10.3 million. Imax reported that $1.1 million of that total came from its screens in China.
Nevertheless, the animated U.S. title was swept away by the Saturday-released “Moments.” It topped the chart on both Saturday and Sunday and earned $19.4 million over two days.
Its story is one of a young man who had become lost in his big city life and returns to the countryside. There he connects with his grandmother and a friend and puts down new roots. Written and directed by Zhang Jiajia, the film stars Peng Yuchang, Zhou Ye, Ai Liya, Chen Xianen, Kong Lianshun and Zhang Yifan.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” also opened on Saturday. It scored $1.68 million in third place and held station on Sunday with $1.15 million. That gave “Bad Boys” a $2.83 million two-day opening in third place at the China box office.
It placed narrowly ahead of holdover title, Japanese animation “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle” which had topped the Chinese chart on the previous weekend.
“Haikyuu!!!” earned $2.43 million for a nine-day cumulative of $14.3 million. It was produced by Production IG, Toho Animation and Sony Music Entertainment Japan and released by Crunchyroll in multiple territories. In China, the release was backed by China Film Corp and Road Pictures, the indie which previously handled “The First Slam Dunk” and “Suzume.”
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