Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe secures its first release in China since last year’s bomb Batman v. Superman. Can strong word of mouth for Gal Gadot’s badass Wonder Woman overcome China’s unfamiliarity with the character and a growing apathy towards superhero films in general?
Director Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot and Chris Pine at the Chinese premiere of ‘Wonder Woman’
Wonder Woman (神奇女侠)
China Distribution – China Film Group Corporation (中国电影集团公司)
US Distribution – Warner Bros. Pictures
Following a disastrously front-loaded box office performance for its flagship Batman v. Superman ($95.7 million total after a $58 million opening weekend) and a non-release for the ensemble film Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. will attempt to right its DC Extended Universe ship in the world’s second largest movie market with Friday’s day-and-date release of Wonder Woman.
For a chance at box office success, Warner — along with local production partners Tencent Pictures and Wanda Pictures, both given extra mianzi with logos front and center on Wonder Woman‘s worldwide promotional material — will need to shake off both China’s unfamiliarity with the badass female warrior as well as growing signs of superhero fatigue amongst local moviegoers.
Pre-sales for Wonder Woman had been lackluster up until the last minute, but Warner Bros. wisely chose to ramp up marketing late this week trumpeting the film’s stellar critical reviews and organizing two hundred advanced screenings Wednesday night to build word of mouth. The moves seem to have paid off: early Douban and Maoyan ratings are much higher than those for the average superhero flick and opening day pre-sales saw a major uptick.
Wonder Woman will have a tough run ahead with major Hollywood releases stealing screens every subsequent Friday in June, so its opening weekend will be key to its success. CFI predicts an opening weekend in the vicinity of RMB 250 million ($35 million) and a final total between RMB 500 – 550 million ($70 – $80 million), a definite success for a standalone superhero film lacking both the built-in fanbase and the brand awareness of Marvel.
| Film Title | Genre | Production Company | Distribution Company |
| The Lost City of Z 迷失Z城 | Action/Adventure | Plan B Entertainment | Huaxia Film Distribution 华夏电影发行有限责任公司 |
| Polar Star 北极星 | Kids | 北京中坚新影传媒有限公司 | Beijing CFC Films 北京中外世纪影视 |
| Life and Death 生死无门 | Romance | 香港汪盛互动营销机构 | 香港汪盛互动营销机构 |
| Red Army Primary School 红军小学 | Main Melody | Hainan Lige Entertainment 海南丽歌影视 | Hainan Lige Entertainment 海南丽歌影视 |
| My Unique Childhood 小茜当家 | Kids | 东莞市凤玺文化传媒 | Jinyi Qiankun Distribution 金亿乾坤电影发行 |
| 29+1 | Romance | Jiecheng Shiji Cultural Industry Group 捷成世纪文化产业集团 | 沈阳北联喜鹊科技 |
