China Box Office: ‘Napoleon’ Defeated in Middle Kingdom Campaign, Opens in Fifth Place

Josephine Bonaparte was a woman with strength, elegance, and an unknowable nature that proved an irresistible combination for the French emperor Napoleon. In researching the role for Ridley Scott’s historical epic Napoleon, Vanessa Kirby discovered that behind this allure lay an unrelenting drive to survive, and, using that as a basis, she found a foothold: a way to show how this “internally mysterious” woman weathered a tempestuous relationship and its constantly shifting power dynamic. Although Josephine would ultimately fall from favor, due to her inability to produce an heir, Kirby notes that her integrity prevailed, in spite of the unbearable pressures she faced.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Just when players and investors had begun to believe that China was finished with major new regulations to the games industry, regulators have announced proposals for more curbs. The draft regulations, proposed by the National Press and Publication Administration appear to focus on in-game spending. The proposals revealed on Friday hit the shares of Chinese gaming giants Tencent and NetEase and dented those of other companies with operations n the Chinese market.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief It seems Hollywood’s “sequel-itis” has reached China’s box office too. Despite the country’s dramatic overnight removal of COVID restrictions in December 2022 and film imports quickly restarting with the triumphant debut of “Avatar: The Way of Water,” Hollywood’s new normal in the Middle Kingdom bears little resemblance to its pre-pandemic status. During the three-year disruption of 2020-22, caused by the pandemic and soured U.S.-China diplomatic relations, few Hollywood films — and no Marvel titles — made their way onto Chinese screens. But if Hollywood studios read the $240 million-grossing “Avatar 2” feeding frenzy as a sign that pent-up Chinese demand for their sequels and superheroes slate might continue throughout 2023, they were sorely disappointed. In the world’s second-largest box office territory, with a cume to date of $7.3 billion, the market share for all imported films in China has crashed, standing at less than 15% at the beginning of December. Hollywood films’ share is just 12%, consultancy Artisan Gateway calculates. This month, “Napoleon” and “Wonka” have continued the trend of dismal flops, with $5 million and $3 million opening weekends, respectively. The slump is particularly disappointing given that the Chinese authorities that carefully control the film industry have this year made several moves designed to put Hollywood releasing back on the rails.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese-made crime drama, “Endless Journey” opened on top of the mainland China box office on a weekend with three new releases in the top five. The Wanda Pictures and Alibaba title earned $20.5 million (RMB146 million) between Friday and Sunday, its official opening weekend, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. Together with previews from the week earlier, it ended the weekend with a cumulative total of $34.5 million (RMB245 million).

Refresh for latest…: After opening early in 37 international box office markets last weekend, Warner Bros/Village Roadshow/Heyday Films’ Wonka expanded its release this session to the rest of the world (save Korea which goes in late January). The results are sweet.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” movie has cleared multiple stages of approvals and will release in mainland Chinese theaters on Dec. 31. The announcement, foreshadowed by Variety earlier this month, was made at 1.13pm (or 13.13) on Friday in China, a reference to Swift’s birth date and lucky number.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Two Hollywood films “Wonka” and “Migration” opened in Chinese cinemas over the latest weekend. But neither did enough business to appear among the box office top five. Instead, the weekend crown went to “The Invisible Guest,” a Chinese remake of the 2016 Spanish mystery thriller about a woman who must work with a police officer to clear her name after her lover is found dead in a locked room. It earned a modest $12.6 million (RMB89.6 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

At 24, Edouard Philipponnat has already worked with powerhouse director Ridley Scott twice and his latest project Napoleon has him going toe to toe with the likes of Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s Linmon Media celebrated its tenth anniversary this week by unveiling 16 new shows for its 2024 production and release slate. The roster included seven Chinese period drama series, five contemporary shows and two more being made in Thailand. “We are not just a producer, we are a studio,” Zhou Yuan, co-founder and EVP of Linmon, told Variety on the sidelines of the company’s predominantly English-language presentation at the Asia Television Forum & Market in Singapore.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Universal Music Greater China has signed a strategic partnership with Mandarin-language music superstar Jay Chou and his record label JVR Music. The agreement secures global marketing and distribution rights for Chou’s extensive music catalogue and for future projects. It also supports rising talent from his label, including artists Patrick Brasca and Young (aka Cao Yang) through JVR. Nicknamed the ‘King of Mandopop’ Chou has a two decade career that spans 15 studio albums, eight world tours and 378 concerts in Asia, America, Europe, and Australia.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China and Netherlands-based Fortissimo Films has picked up international sales rights to anticipated Chinese blockbuster movie “If You Are the One 3.” To be released on Dec. 30 in China, the picture is directed by Feng Xiaogang as the second sequel in his anti-romance comedy franchise, about a rich businessman and an air stewardess, which kicked off in 2008 and earned a follow-up in 2010.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Macau casino operator, Sands China entered into a strategic partnership with Chinese streaming company Tencent Video and Chinese cinema ticketing firm Maoyan Entertainment. The three parties will team up to host large-scale offline events, content creation of lifestyle and entertainment programs and online marketing and promotion. Operating The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao and The Londoner Macao casino resorts, Sands runs several large entertainment facilities in Macau, including the 15,000-seat Cotai Arena, the 1,800-seat Venetian Theatre, the 6,000-seat The Londoner Arena, the 1,200-seat The Parisian Theatre, and the 1,700-seat Londoner Theatre. The three will co-organize events in Macau including live performances, concerts, films, TV series, variety shows, sports and cultural activities.

Napoleon’s screenwriter, David Scarpa, has revealed that the opening scene of the movie was originally very “different”.In a recent interview with IndieWire, Scarpa has shared the creative process surrounding Ridley Scott’s new biopic, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte.In the interview, Scarpa revealed details of Scott’s creative mind, nuances behind the film’s script and some of the challenges that faced the filmmakers.One detail upon which Scarpa opened up was regarding the film’s opening scene, which shows the execution of Marie Antoinette in 1793. In a four-star review, NME wrote that this “vivid and dramatic start sets the tone of a film that is never less than full-blooded”.However, when asked about this scene, Scarpa shared: “That’s not how we originally started it.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Negotiations are under way to secure a December or more likely an early January release for Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” movie in mainland China cinemas. The film, which has grossed some $250 million worldwide since debuting on Oct. 13, is currently being reviewed by Chinese authorities.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Full River Red,” the Zhang Yimou-directed period comedy-drama that released in January this year has earned its producer Huanxi Media Beijing the 2023 Asia Pacific Box Office Achievement Award at the CineAsia convention. The convention gets under way Monday in Bangkok and will run till Thursday (Dec. 4-7).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” could be facing a Waterloo in China, where early box office indications point to a disappointing opening shot. The Apple Original Films production had clocked RMB6.1 million ($860,000) by 7:45 p.m. local time in mainland China on Friday, according to estimates from ticketing and box office tracking firm Maoyan.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Warner Bros. Discovery China is launching reality TV show “Glow Up China” in mainland China later this month. Delving into the universe and talents of Chinese make-up artists, the series will launch on leading streaming platform Tencent Video in December at a yet-to-be-specified date. The 6×60 minute show is a Warner Bros.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Multi-territory European cinema operator, Pathe Cinemas has expanded its existing deal with premium large format technology company Imax. The new agreement sees the addition of five new Imax With Laser systems in Europe, including four in France.

Napoleon has made a strong start at the French box office despite some scathing reviews from French critics.The film – which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the famed French emperor – has received largely positive reviews internationally, though some French critics have slated the film.French GQ called it “deeply clumsy, unnatural and unintentionally funny”, while Le Figaro compared it to “Barbie and Ken under the Empire”.Nevertheless, it took $1.019million (£810,000) during its opening day in France last week (via Variety) – accounting for nearly a third of international takings – before making a total $5.6million (£4.44million) over its first five days.Its weekend takings also make France one of the biggest international markets for Napoleon, second behind the UK with $6.6million (£5.23million), according to ScreenDaily.Last week, director Ridley Scott hit back at French critics of the film, telling the BBC: “The French don’t even like themselves”.He added: “The audience that I showed it to in Paris, they loved it.”Scott also previously hit back at historian Dan Snow’s criticism of the film, after the latter broke down Napoleon‘s historical inaccuracies.“Get a life,” the director said. “I tend to be visual above all things, before the written word.”Napoleon focuses on the emperor’s rise to power and his relationship with Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s nationwide annual box office passed the symbolic $7 billion and RMB 50 billion marks in recent days, confirming a decent, but still incomplete recovery of the theatrical cinema industry. According to consultancy Artisan Gateway, the running box office total to Nov. 26 was $7.15 billion.