Headlines from China: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Is Now the Highest-grossing Foreign Film in China

‘Avengers: Endgame’ Becomes the Highest-grossing Foreign Film in China

On May 1, Marvel’s superhero movie Avengers: Endgame crossed the RMB 3 billion (US$445 M) mark at the box office in China. This makes Avengers: Endgame the first foreign film to earn over RMB 3 billion in the Chinese film market, overtaking The Fate of the Furious to become the highest-grossing foreign film in China. Avengers: Endgame has also broken 22 box office records in the Chinese film history, including records for ticket pre-sale, midnight screening sales,  single-day box office and weekly box office among others. Read more on 1905.com

Is 2019 Becoming A Big Year for Hollywood in China?

Following Avengers: Endgame, Hollywood blockbusters are expected to continue to dominate the big screens in China for the next two months. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, which is co-produced by Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers, has been scheduled to release on May 10. Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which stars Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, has also been set for a May 31 release date in China. In addition, X-men: Dark Phoneix and The Secret Life of Pets 2 will be released in June. Men in Black: International, set for a North American release on June 14, has been confirmed its China release recently, although a release date has yet to be announced. Featuring well-known characters, such as Pikachu, X-men and Avengers, the aforementioned films are expected to boost the Chinese box office this year. Read more on entgroup.com

Is Sports Movie the Next Trend in China?

In 2018, many sports movies became box office hits in the global market, such as I, Tonya and Free Solo. In China, sports movies may also be the next trendy film genre. When Indian sports drama Dangal screened in China in 2017, the film grossed RMB1.3 billion at the box office, which made it China’s first non-hollywood foreign film that crossed the RMB 1 billion mark. As for domestic productions, the racing film Pegasus grossed RMB 500 million in two days during the 2019 Chinese New Year holiday. Renowned filmmaker Peter Chan also has two upcoming films relating to competitive sports, including a film featuring China women’s national volleyball team and Li Na about the Chinese legendary tennis player Li Na. Read more on Jiemian