Legendary Entertainment's 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' made a significant impact in the Chinese box office, achieving the best opening for a Hollywood film this year. The movie raked in an impressive $44.6 million (RMB317 million) in mainland Chinese cinemas over the weekend, capturing nearly 70% of the country's total weekend box office revenue.
Nationwide, cinemas experienced a notable surge in business, generating $64.1 million in total revenue, a substantial increase from the previous weekend's earnings of $39.5 million. This marked the third-highest box office performance this year not influenced by the Lunar New Year holiday releases.
While the opening of 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' was slightly lower than its predecessor 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters,' which debuted with $66 million in May 2019 and amassed a total of $133 million, it still stood out as one of the top Hollywood releases in the post-pandemic era in China.
Imax also reported a significant contribution from the movie, with 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' earning $7.5 million on its screens in China, representing close to 17% of its Chinese weekend earnings.
Meanwhile, 'Kung Fu Panda 4' slipped to second place in its second weekend, earning $5.8 million, a 60% decline from its opening weekend. The movie has accumulated $34.5 million after ten days in Chinese cinemas.
Chinese film 'Viva La Vida,' which was initially pulled from release during the Lunar New Year holiday season, made a successful return to cinemas, earning $4.3 million over the weekend. The film's total earnings now stand at $22.3 million.
Other notable performances included 'The Pig, The Snake and the Pigeon,' which earned $2.9 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $90.6 million. Additionally, the French art-house film and 2023 Cannes-winner 'Anatomy of a Fall' debuted in fifth place with $1.5 million.
Overall, the year-to-date box office in China has reached $2.32 billion, as reported by Artisan Gateway, surpassing the $1.47 billion recorded by ComScore so far this year.
