China Box Office: ‘Guardians’ Wins Second Weekend

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3” enjoyed a second weekend on top of the mainland China box office, as all top five placed films remained unchanged and audiences await “Fast & Furious 10.”

“Guardians Vol 3” earned $19.0 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was a decent week-on-week hold, representing a drop of only 32% from its debut weekend, following a solid but unspectacular start. And it gives the film a total of $58.7 million after ten days in mainland Chinese theaters.

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Imax screens accounted for $3 million of the film’s weekend score in China and lifted the film’s Imax total in China to $10.4 million, which Imax calculates as 18% of its China total.

Also holding up well was Chinese-made comedy road trip movie “Godspeed,” which held on to second place with a third weekend haul of $13.1 million. After 17 days on release, it has amassed $121 million.
China’s answer to “Top Gun: Maverick,” fighter pilot action movie “Born to Fly” earned $8.9 million for third place. That gives it a total of $107 million after 17 days of release.

Chinese romance film “All These Years” earned $2.1 million in its third weekend of release. That gives it a cumulative of $40.9 million after 17 days in cinemas.

Japanese animated film “The First Slam Dunk” earned $1.4 million on its fourth weekend in China. That gives it a cumulative of $92.2 million after 24 days on release.

All eyes – and many Chinese cinema screens – are now turning to “Fast X,” which represents a much bigger franchise in China than “Guardians.” Online ticketing sites show “Fast X” poised to take the top spot on Tuesday. The day is supposed to be about previews ahead of the official opening on Wednesday (May 17).

It has a lot to live up to. In 2015, “Fast & Furious 7” grossed RMB2.42 billion ($351 million at today’s exchange rates). In 2017, “Fast & Furious 8” grossed RMB2.67 billion ($387 million), while the 2021 release of “F9: The Fast Saga” took $217 million.

The latest weekend saw an aggregate nationwide box office of $49 million. The year-to-date aggregate of $2.99 billion is 38% better than this point in the calendar last year, but it is some 20% lower than 2019, Artisan Gateway calculations show.

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