China Box Office: ‘No More Bets’ and ‘Meg 2’ Split Meaty Weekend Total

Despite the Sussexes' dramatic exit from the royal family in 2020, which was followed by their relocation to the US, Harry and Meghan still retain their royal titles.

Refresh for latest…: It’s been another very busy weekend at the international box office with milestones and great holds, as well as a new entry and local-language movies adding to the mix. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The box office in mainland China reached an all-time high in the summer season, according to figures from ticketing agency Maoyan Entertainment. The record was achieved with minimal input from Hollywood.

Soon the Royal Family will mark the first anniversary of the Queen's death, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to have "not been invited" to the gathering, according to a royal expert. Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral in Scotland, after reigning for 70 years. Historian, writer and broadcaster Tessa Dunlop spoke exclusively to OK! and said there's going to be a "royal gathering at Balmoral" for the family to commemorate the Queen in private, without any public events planned.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Tencent, the Chinese games, social media and streaming giant, reported further quarterly profits recovery after a dire 2022. But its revenues for the April-June period missed financial analysts’ expectations and point to continued weakness in the Chinese economy. Group revenues for the period were RMB149 billion ($20.6 billion), representing an 11% year-on-year growth, but a 1% quarter-on-quarter decline.

The royal family are reportedly hoping for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to be successful in Hollywood, but one PR expert claims it may be a "passive aggressive" move.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The number of paying streaming subscribers at China’s Tencent Music Entertainment hit 100 million in the June, the company said Tuesday as it revealed its second quarter financials. Subscriber numbers increased by 20% year on year and by 5 million quarter on quarter, to hit 99.4 million, the company said. That increase helped quarterly revenues from music subscriptions to rise by 37% year-on-year to RMB2.89 billion ($399 million).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese crime action movie “No More Bets,” not “Barbie,” was the best performing film in the world this weekend. Comscore calculates that “No More Bets,” earned $88 million between Friday and Sunday in China alone. That figure is greater than the $33.7 million that “Barbie” earned in its fourth weekend of release in North America and the $45.1 million that it earned in international territories (for a global, weekend total of $78.8 million).

Refresh for latest…: It’s still a Barbie world this weekend as the Greta Gerwig-directed charmer reached a global cume of $1.184B. Last session, Margot Robbie’s living doll crossed the $1B threshold, and in this 4th frame added $45.1M in 75 offshore markets (a 47% dip) to bring the international box office cume to $657.6M. 

FRIDAY AM UPDATE, refresh for more…The only new wide release this weekend is Amblin’s period Dracula horror pic The Last Voyage of the Demeter being distributed by Universal. It made $750K last night in previews from showtimes that began at 5PM in 2,350 theaters in what is expected to be an underwhelming 3-day single digit million result for the $45M feature production. The R-rated pic expands to 2,715 theaters today.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Box office hit “Lost in the Stars” was a contributor to the April to June profits recorded by Chinese tech giant Alibaba’s digital media and entertainment division. The division, which spans streaming, ticketing, film production and distribution and web browser, recorded earnings before interest, taxation and amortization (EBITA) of $9 million (RMB63 million). That follows many years of losses, including $126 million (RMB907 million) of EBITA losses in the equivalent quarter last year.

King Charles III, Prince William and Princess Kate are figuring out how to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death later this year.

Meg 2: The Trench is out now, and the numbers are in!

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Meg 2: The Trench,” the second Jason Statham-led shark thriller, is swimming to $112 million in its international box office debut, bringing its global total to $142 million. It’s a strong start for the $130 million-budgeted film, which was co-financed by Warner Bros. and China Media Capital.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Meg 2: The Trench” serves up a school of prehistoric fish that chew up the seas, a snapping pack of imaginary hybrid dinosaurs that wreak havoc on land and a surprising cinema business model — the Chinese-controlled franchise intended for a global audience. And while early reviews are predictably mixed, the film’s box office debut looks promising. In China, on Friday, it bit off a $19.5 million first day and enjoyed a 50% market share.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not received an invite to the Royal Family's commemorations to mark the anniversary of the Queen's death, according to reports.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Theatrical cinema in July enjoyed its highest revenues since pre-pandemic times, with global box office hitting $4.54 billion during the month. “This is the single highest-grossing month since before the pandemic began.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Busan film festival’s Asian Project Market is set to welcome several of the region’s top auteurs either as producers or prospective directors at its next edition in October. APM organizers Thursday unveiled 30 projects to be presented during a four-day round of one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions. India’s Rima Das (“Tora’s Husband”) will pitch “Malti My Love.” Japan’s Fukada Koji (“Love Life,” “Harmonium”) will pitch “Nagi Notes.” Indonesia’s Makbul Mubarak (“Autobiography”) will pitch “Watch It Burn.” Among the successful producers adding their weight to APM contenders are: Patrick Mao Huang (“Moneyboys,” “Tiger Stripes”) selling Peter Ho’s project “Appetite for Desire”; Jeremy Chua (“Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” “Autobiography”), pitching Rafael Manuel’s “Filipinana”; Ichiyama Shozo (“Ash Is Puirest White”) pitching Song Fang’s Japan-China collaboration “Full Moon”; Fran Borgia (“A Land Imagined,” “Tiger Stripes”) pitching Aakash Chhabra’s “I’ll Smile in September”; and Tan Chui Mui (“Barbarian Invasion”) pitching Jian Xiaoshuan’s “To Kill A Mongolian Horse.” The project market and the Asian Contents & Film Market are both scheduled to operate Oct.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China is proposing to restrict internet access to minors and children. The move is intended to curb internet addiction. Tech sector regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China said on Wednesday that people under 18 will not be allowed to access the internet via a mobile device between 10pm and 6am each day.

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex married in the fairy-tale setting of St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 2018, their love story seemed destined for a happy ending – as the progressive royal couple set to shake up The Firm. Fast forward five years, following family fall-outs, grief, career about-turns and a new start in a new country for Prince Harry, the devoted couple are resolutely ignoring rumours that their relationship is under strain. And they’re determined more than ever to make a success of their marriage and their life in America.