Taiwanese crime thriller “The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon” opened at the top of the Chinese mainland box office over the weekend, ahead of a quartet of films remaining from the Lunar New Year. Sony’s “Madame Web” and the re-released “Dune” also opened, but failed to crack the top five.
“The Pig, the Snake and the Dove” generated revenues of $16.2 million (115 million Chinese yuan), according to data from consulting firm Artisan Gateway. Other than Lunar New Year titles, this marks the highest opening for any new film in China this year. But it was not a completely convincing performance. It came in narrowly ahead of “Article 20,” a crime comedy-drama directed by Zhang Yimou that has been in theaters for four weeks now.
Directed by Hong Kong’s Wong Cheng Po and starring Ethan Guan, the film tells the story of a gangster who discovers, firstly, that he has cancer and has only a few months to live, and secondly, that he is the third most wanted outlaw in the country. He decided to eliminate higher-ranking criminals so he could die on top.
Although Taiwan limits the number of films that can be shown in cinemas on the Chinese mainland each year, the opposite is not true. There are no specific restrictions on Taiwanese films being shown in mainland China as long as the titles receive mainland censorship approval. However, they are still rare and getting first place is considered a notable achievement.
“Article 20” grossed $16 million (RMB 113 million) over the weekend, for a total of $320 million, since its release on February 10. This reinforces its position as the third highest grossing title for the Lunar New Year.
“Pegasus 2,” the second Lunar New Year release, grossed $14.4 million (RMB 102 million) over its recent weekend. Its cumulative total amounts to $458 million (RMB 3.25 billion).
Chinese animated film “Boonie Bears: Time Twist” grossed $8.7 million over the weekend, compared to $268 million (RMB 1.90 billion). Weight loss comedy “YOLO,” which dominated the Lunar New Year holiday sessions, fell to fifth place over the recent weekend. It earned $8.0 million for a total of $478 million (CNY 3.40 billion).
Estimates from ticket agency Maoyan show that “Dune” earned about $860,000 (RMB 6.2 million) during its first three days of re-release. The remake, “Madame Web,” was a mockery, earning just RMB4.8 million, or $670,000. Oppenheimer’s film, which received an opportunistic release before the Oscars, grossed just $170,000 over the weekend.
The decks are likely to be properly cleared starting next Friday, when “Dune 2” hits Chinese screens. Not only will this be the first Hollywood blockbuster of this size since “Aquaman 2” in mid-December, the film has the added bonus of being co-distributed by Legendary East, the Chinese arm of Legendary Entertainment.