Universal’s Jurassic World Dominion crossed the $ 100 million mark in China on Thursday and became the first Hollywood film to reach that milestone since Legendary’s Godzilla teen Kong did so in early 2021. However, the dinosaur sequel moved up to second place this weekend as the heartbreaking Chinese drama Light up the stars Opened Friday and emerged first.
supremacy took $ 12.5 million in its third frame, while Light up the stars won $ 31.8 million over the weekend, according to estimates by Artisan Gateway. Entirely, supremacy earned $ 114.6 million from its $ 746.7 million world total in China.
Light up the stars is produced by Lian Ray Pictures, the Beijing-based company behind Derek Tsang’s Oscar nominee Better days and other commercial hits such as Little red flower and Peter Chan’s jump. Written and directed by Jiangjiang Liu, Light up the stars tells the story of a surprising connection forged by a funeral director and an orphaned young girl. The film received strong social scores from local filmmakers, with 9.6 on Maoyan and 7.5 on Douban. Maoyan predicts that the film will gain momentum in the coming weeks and eventually reach more than $ 130 million.
Overall, China’s box office is still struggling in 2022 thanks to the country’s dynamic zero-COVID approach to the pandemic. As of Monday, total ticket revenue was 38.3 percent lower compared to the same period in 2021. Rising nationalism and laden diplomatic relations also suppressed the number of imported films released in the country. Currently, no Hollywood titles are scheduled for release in the coming weeks or months.