‘Big World,’ ‘Octopus’ Propel China’s Box Office to Year-End Surge as ‘Mufasa’ Drops to Fifth Place
The final weekend of 2024 witnessed a significant upswing in China’s box office, with Gengxi Pictures’ “Big World” leading the charge by grossing $28.2 million (RMB200 million), according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway.
Directed by Yang Lina, the film stars Jackson Yee as Chunhu, a young man with cerebral palsy who assists his grandmother, portrayed by Diana Lin, with a stage play while preparing for college exams. It won the audience award at the Tokyo International Film Festival earlier this year.
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In second place, “Octopus With Broken Arms,” released by As One Production, earned $21.6 million over its two-day opening weekend. Directed by Jacky Gan, the film features Xiao Yang as Zheng Bingrui, a wealthy businessman whose daughter, Tingting, is kidnapped during a holiday celebration. Tong Liya portrays Li Huiping, Tingting’s teacher, and Duan Yihong plays police officer Zhang Jingxian, who leads the investigation into the kidnapping. The narrative unfolds as Zheng and Li navigate the ransom demands, uncovering hidden secrets behind the abduction.
“Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capital,” part of the beloved series of anime films, originally released in Japan in 2003, made its debut in the Middle Kingdom, earning $4.6 million. Directed by Kenji Kodama, the animated film follows Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori as they team up in Kyoto to solve a case involving the theft of a Healing Buddha statue and uncover the identity of Heiji’s first love. Directed by Kodama Kenji, the film follows Conan and Heiji as they team up in Kyoto to solve a case involving the theft of a Healing Buddha statue and uncover the identity of Heiji’s first love. The voice cast includes Takayama Minami, Yamaguchi Kappei and Yamazaki Wakana.
“The Prosecutor,” a legal thriller from Mandarin Motion Pictures, brought in $4 million over the weekend, reaching a cumulative total of $27.7 million since its release. Directed by superstar Donnie Yen, who also stars alongside Julian Cheung, Michael Hui, Francis Ng, and MC Cheung Tin-fu, the film revolves around a prosecutor who risks his life and career to help a wrongly accused defendant.
Last week’s champion, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” dropped to fifth place with $2.4 million in its second weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $12.1 million.
The weekend box office grossed $68.3 million overall, contributing to a 2024 total of $5.93 billion. This represents a 21.5% decline compared to 2023, though the weekend’s strong performance offered a positive end to the year.
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