What’s new: The sequel to the American sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar” has fueled an upswing in Chinese cinema sales with moviegoers flocking to theaters after the government eased Covid-19 restrictions on public venues.
Released on Friday, “Avatar: The Way of Water” had booked 451 million yuan ($64.5 million) in box office as of Tuesday, about 61% of the nationwide box office this month, according to data from Dengta, an industry intelligence provider.
China’s box office totaled 442 million yuan last week, more than triple the 118 million yuan in the first week of December, the data show.
The context: China’s relaxing of Covid restrictions helped spark the rebound in the cinema sales, with 10,372 theaters open across the country on Sunday — about two times the number three weeks before, according to Dengta data.
But market insiders predicted that the latest wave of Covid infections following the roll-back of controls would cause moviegoers to voluntarily avoid visiting cinemas.
The surge in China’s box office last week was still only about 76% of the same period in 2021.
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” directed by James Cameron, opened in cinemas on the Chinese mainland on the same day as the U.S., following months of speculation among industry insiders and fans alike about whether the authorities would permit screening of the much-anticipated follow-up to Cameron’s “Avatar,” released in 2009. The latter was the first film on the mainland to rake in over 1 billion yuan at the box office and remains the highest-grossing movie worldwide, with a global box office of around $2.9 billion.
Related: China’s Covid-Hit Cinemas Hope ‘Avatar’ Sequel Will Bring a Galactic Boost
Contact reporter Guo Yingzhe (yingzheguo@caixin.com) and editor Jonathan Breen (jonathanbreen@caixin.com)
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