“Successor” dominates the Chinese box office with a strong $50 million opening
The Chinese film “Successor,” a heartfelt comedy-drama centered on escaping poverty, took the lead at the mainland China box office last weekend. With impressive earnings of RMB 358 million (about $50.4 million) from Friday to Sunday, it outperformed competitors, including “Despicable Me 4,” which finished in third place.
“Successor” explores the struggles and dreams of a poor father and a dedicated mother living in a challenging environment. The film follows their journey as they strive to give their son, Ma Jiye, a better life. Jiye stands out academically, embodying hope for his family. As he grows, he starts to notice the complexities of the world around him, adding depth to the narrative.
Directed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo, known for their previous successes with films like “Hello, Mr. Billionaire” and “Goodbye, Mr. Loser,” “Successor” features a talented cast, including Shen Teng, Ma Li, Shi Pengyuan, Sa Rina, and Xiao Bochen. With strong early reviews, Maoyan, a leading ticketing agency in China, predicts the film could gross a total of RMB 1.6 billion (around $220 million) throughout its run.
Following “Successor” was “A Place Called Silence,” which, despite slipping to second place, maintained a solid performance. It earned $32 million over the weekend, bringing its total to $121 million since its release on July 3. This film only saw a 22% drop in revenue from the previous week, indicating strong audience interest.
In third place, “Despicable Me 4” brought in $17.7 million during its opening weekend. This figure pales in comparison to the $64 million that “Despicable Me 3” earned during its debut in 2017. The latest installment is expected to gross around RMB 370 million ($51 million), aligning it with other Hollywood hits like “Kung Fu Panda 4” and “Dune.”
The box office was rounded out by other films, including Bona Film's “A Legend,” which officially opened on July 10, earning $2.8 million over the weekend for a cumulative total of $9.8 million when including early previews.
Pixar's “Inside Out 2” also saw a decline, dropping to fifth place with $2.3 million, bringing its total to $43.1 million since its release on June 21. Despite the drop, the film still shows solid earnings and continues to attract viewers.
The strong performances from the top three films contributed to an overall weekend box office total of $111 million in China. The current year-to-date box office total in China now stands at $3.61 billion, which is about 14% behind the same point in 2023. This figure also trails behind North America's total, which Comscore estimates to be around $4.11 billion for 2024.
