Oscar-winning Japanese animated fantasy “The Boy and the Heron” held on to top spot at the mainland China box office to record a second weekend win.
The film, which opened triumphantly on April 3, in time for a family-oriented long weekend, fell steeply in its second, non-holiday, frame. It earned $12.8 million (RMB90.6 million), according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That gives it a running total of $93.8 million (RMB666) after 12 days on release in China. And, despite a release that trailed months after most other territories, that total makes China far and away the film’s highest-grossing territory.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” powered by Legendary Entertainment’s China wing Legendary East, helped itself to a further $10.7 million over its third weekend. That gives it a $110 million cumulative.
(The film is playing well on Imax screens. Imax reports that $1.1 million of its China weekend score came from its venues and that the film’s Imax total in China now amounts to $14.8 million.)
“Kung Fu Panda 4” earned $2.5 million on its fourth weekend in China and remained unchanged in third place. Having released on March 22, it now has a cumulative total of $45.6 million in China.
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“Dwelling by the West Lake,” a Chinese crime drama directed by Gu Xiaogang, remained in fourth place. It earned $2.4 million in its second weekend in cinemas, for a cumulative of $13 million.
“Viva La Vida,” a Chinese film that got is official re-release on March 30, having been pulled from cinemas during February’s Lunar New Year holiday season, bounced back to fifth spot. It earned $2.1 million over the latest weekend, for a cumulative of $32.4 million that includes its February takings, March previews and its latest outing.
China’s year to date box office is now $2.55 billion, which Artisan Gateway calculates as 6% ahead of last year.
