20th Century’s murder mystery Death on the Nile, the first Hollywood studio release to set sail in China in over a month, is already sinking.
The Kenneth Branagh film opened Saturday and came in fourth place for the weekend with $5.9 million, earning just $3.9 million on its first day and $2 million on Sunday.
Holdover Chinese blockbuster Battle of Lake Changjin 2, meanwhile, earned $19.8 million for the frame, taking its three-week total to $589.2 million, while fellow holdover Chinese New Year hits Too Cool to Kill and Nice View added $17.4 million and $11.3 million, respectively, according to Artisan Gateway data.
Death on the Nile made a subdued $12.9 million start stateside a week earlier over Super Bowl weekend. So far, it has totaled $25.9 million domestically and $75.8. million globally. The film cost a reported $90 million to make.
Death on the Nile‘s flop in China is reflected in its poor social scores among local viewers. The film has earned ratings of 8/10 on Maoyan, 7.9 on Taopiaopiao and 6.1 on Douban. All of the major Chinese titles still on release have user scores of 9 or higher on the major ticketing platforms.
Woody Allen’s troubled 2018 romantic comedy A Rainy Day in New York is getting a surprise release in China on Friday. But Hollywood will have to wait for the March 14 of Tom Holland’s Uncharted and the March 18 release of The Batman to get a clearer sense of Chinese consumers’ current appetite for U.S. tentpole product.
China’s total box office revenue so far in 2022 is currently $1.99 billion, down 6.8 percent from the same period in 2021.
Source: Hollywood
