Featured DVD Review: Monster Hunt

August 7th, 2017

Monster Hunt was, well, a monster hit in its native Chinese. In fact, it was the biggest hit in that market until The Mermaid took the crown the following year. On the other hand, it only managed mostly positive reviews and completely bombed in theaters in the US. It did so poorly that it was dumped onto the home market on a featureless DVD. Is it a cultural issue? Does the film just not translate well from the Chinese to Western culture? Or does it deserve to be seen by more people? More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Will there be a Monster Hit?

January 22nd, 2016

There are not a lot of interesting limited releases this week. The lone exception might be Monster Hunt. This film earned nearly $400 million in China, so box office analysts will be paying close attention to its limited release run. If it can find crossover appeal, it could signal a wave of Chinese movies getting releases here. On the other hand, its reviews suggest that won't happen. More...

International Box Office: Lost Finds Its Way to the Top

October 1st, 2015

Lost in Hong Kong opened in first place in China and internationally with $106.80 million. This is better than Monster Hunt opened with, so if it has the same legs, the box office record in China will fall for the third time this year. Speaking of records, the overall Chinese box office rose to $5 billion with three months left in the year. This is amazing. More...

International Box Office: Mission: Accomplished

September 17th, 2015

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation rocketed up the chart into first place with $91.3 million in 63 markets over the weekend... sort of. This includes $86.42 million during the film's six-day opening in China. Its three-day weekend number is a lot smaller than that, but still enough for first place. Overall, the film now has $424.8 million internationally and $612.9 million worldwide. It became only the second film in the franchise to reach the $600 million mark worldwide. This is more than enough to break even, so it should come as no surprise that there's another installment in the works. More...

International Box Office: Mission Completes Hattrick, but International Fair Thrives

August 20th, 2015

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation remained in first place for the third weekend in a row with $46.1 million in 63 markets over the weekend for totals of $235.3 million internationally and $373.6 million worldwide. The film's biggest opening was in France where it easily earned first place with $7.96 million on 719 screens. It also earned first place with $2.99 million on 947 screens in Brazil. The film isn't quite done its international run. It opens in Italy this weekend and China next month. It should have no trouble getting to $300 million internationally and could get all the way to $500 million worldwide. China could be a huge market for the movie. More...

International Box Office: Rogue Remains Massive, While Fantastic Fairs Better

August 13th, 2015

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation expanded over the weekend and saw its weekend haul grow, but by a tiny amount. It pulled in $65.5 million in 59 markets over the weekend for totals of $156.7 million internationally and $264.5 million worldwide. The film earned first place in a trio of major markets, led by Russia where it made $4.07 million on 1,125 screens. It also debuted in Germany ($2.84 million on 612) and Spain ($1.73 million on 603). On the other hand, it had to settle for second place in Japan with $4.60 million on 600 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $6.07 million. Jurassic World earned first place in Japan, so that's hardly a poor opening. Its biggest market overall was South Korea, where it made $6.57 million on 818 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $31.99 million. The film is below average for the franchise so far, but that's still enough to break even and justify yet another installment. More...

International Box Office: Rogue Nation Goes International

August 6th, 2015

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation opened in first place on the international chart with $64.5 million in 41 markets. Its biggest opening by far came in South Korea, where it made $13.80 million on 1,202 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $16.90 million. That total opening was more than twice the film's second biggest opening, $8.31 million in 572 theaters in the U.K. The film also had major market openings in Mexico ($4.17 million) and in Australia ($3.68 million). The film has yet to open in most major markets, including Germany, Russia, Spain, and Japan. The film opens in all four this weekend, so it should strong on the international chart. More...

International Box Office: Monster Hunt Chomps Chinese Record Book

July 29th, 2015

Monster Hunt remained in first place on the international chart with $46 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $225 million. The film again dominated its home market (China) earning $113.16 million over the full week for a running tally of $221.41 million after eleven days of release. It became the biggest Chinese film in its native market and the third biggest film of all time, behind Transformers: Age of Extinction and the current record holder, Furious 7. More...

International Box Office: Monster Hunt is Monster Hit

July 23rd, 2015

It is a special week on the international chart, as we have an international film in first place. Monster Hunt earned first place in China with an estimated $72 million over the weekend and a total opening of $107.58 million. (This includes less than $1 million in early previews.) This movie is a romantic comedy, of sorts, set in a world of CGI monsters. This is the kind of film that could have appeal in many markets outside of the usual markets Chinese films play in. Additionally, this is the kind of opening that will make distributors here interested in obtaining the rights. It is too soon to tell if it will have a global run, but it will be worth keeping an eye on. More...