A bunch of new Chinese movies did better than two U.S. action films.
Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and A24’s “Civil War” didn’t do well at China’s box office during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday weekend. Instead, local Chinese movies sold most of the tickets. “Furiosa,” the first Mad Max movie shown in China, made $3.7 million and came in sixth place. “Civil War” made only $2.3 million, according to Artisan Gateway.
“Civil War” cost about $50 million to make and had already earned $69 million in North America and $114 million worldwide. However, “Furiosa” needed more help because it made $144 million globally but still needs to make up for its $168 million production cost. The Chinese app Maoyan predicts “Furiosa” will end up making $7.5 million and “Civil War” will make about $3.7 million in China.
Sony’s “The Garfield Movie” was second last week but fell to fourth place with $5.4 million. It has made $15.2 million in nine days in China.
Chinese comedy “Be My Friend,” directed by He Nian and based on a TV show, won the weekend with $8.1 million. Crime comedy “Walk the Line,” by filmmaker Wubai, was second with $7.8 million, and “Crisis Negotiators,” a Hong Kong remake of “The Negotiator,” was third with $5.8 million.
By Monday, China’s total ticket sales for the year were $3.15 billion, down 2.2 percent from the same time in 2023. Upcoming U.S. movies in China include Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” on June 21 and “Bad Boys 4” on June 22.