Tag Archives: China

Did Solo Really ‘Bomb’ In China?

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img_0027-1 Words matter, so if you read ‘China Box Office: ‘Solo’ Bombs With Third-Place $10.1M Opening’ from The Hollywood Reporter you’re likely to assume that the movie failed there.

And in a sense it did, though Star Wars movies since being purchased by Disney have underperformed in the Middle Kingdom before–Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ($69 million) and The Last Jedi ($42.5 million), notice the downward direction of those figures?–with perhaps the exception The Force Awakens ($124 million).

So, my question is why Solo: A Star Wars Story would be any different?

In fact, what should worry Lucasfilm is not it’s performance in China but it’s domestic take which at just over $83 million is problematic.

And it’s worth remembering that Ron Howard’s reshoots likely added somewhere in the ballpark of $50-100 million to the budget (that’s a guesstimate though I wouldn’t be at all shocked if it weren’t even higher),

A similar thing happened to Warner Bros Justice League when Joss Whedon replaced Zach Snyder.

So it’s not impossible that Solo will have the weakest opening of any of the Star Wars films under Disney, but could still eke out a profit when all is said and done though I but I wouldn’t be so quick to call–or imply–that it’s a bomb (even in China).

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‘Pacific Rim’ Opens Huge In China

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Crimson Typhoon - ChinaGuillermo Del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” may have received an important boost toward a sequel, courtesy of a $45 million opening in China.

The giant robot versus monster feature has earned almost $95 million domestically, though internationally (including the Chinese box office), has surpassed $200 million dollars.

As a result, the odds for a sequel odds have improved drastically, and will get a even greater boost when the film is released in Spain, Japan and Brazil.

When all is said and done, I predict a box office take of – at least – $400 million (which doesn’t include revenue from iTunes, DVD sales, Amazon, and rentals), which should pretty much guarantee a sequel.

Odds For A ‘Pacific Rim’ Sequel Improves

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Crimson Typhoon - ChinaAs I have written elsewhere, “Pacific Rim,” despite somewhat underperforming domestically, is doing well overseas.  And according to The Wrap, it will be released this Wednesday in China, which will go a long way to determining if there will be a sequel.

It’s not an accident that one of the jaegers, Crimson Typhoon, is Chinese, and that Rinko Kikuchi, as Mako Mori, is Japanese.  This makes the film potentially more palatable for audiences in those countries.

Besides China, I expect that  Brazil, Japan, and Spain will play a considerable role.