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‘Madame Web’
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Taiwanese black comedy thriller The pig, the snake and the dove brought fresh momentum to China’s cinema box office over the weekend, surpassing four local blockbusters that had dominated the market since the Lunar New Year holiday began early last month. The hit crime film, which premiered in Taiwan last October, grossed a healthy $16.2 million since its debut in mainland China.
Zhang Yimou Article 20 came in second with $16 million, bringing its cumulative score to a whopping $320.1 million, according to data from Artisan Gateway. The other Chinese resorts also continued to do solid business. Han Han’s race car driving sequel Pegasus 2 earned $14.4 million in its fourth frame for a total of $457.5 million, followed by children’s animation Boonie Bears: Time Twist with $8.7 million ($267.7 million total) and Jia Ling’s heartwarming comedy Yolo with $8 million ($478.2 million).
The five Chinese films were well ahead of the only new Hollywood release on the market: Sony’s failed superhero. Mrs. Web. Chinese audiences seem to like the much-maligned Spider-Man spin-off even less than domestic viewers. The film, starring Dakota Johnson, opened with only $638,000, being surpassed by a promotional reissue of Denis Villeneuve’s film. Dune: Part One, which grossed $674,000 from Friday to Sunday. Villeneuve’s film, commercially and critically acclaimed. Dune: Part 2 opens in China on March 10. The sci-fi film will be Hollywood’s best chance in months to restore some excitement around American cinema in the huge Chinese market. Dune: Part One (2021) earned $39.5 million of its worldwide total of $402 million in China.
China’s economy appears shakier than it has in a generation, with an ongoing housing crisis and falling consumer confidence dragging down demand, but the film sector has, so far, remained resilient. As of Monday, China’s cinema box office had generated just under $2 billion in ticket sales this year, with total revenue up about one percent from the same time in 2023.