China Box Office: ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ Cleared for Release (Exclusive)

Patrick Brzeski
·2 min read
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George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will have some good commercial news at its back as it roars into its much-anticipated Cannes Film Festival premiere Wednesday night.

The Warner Bros. action tentpole has received censorship approval from Beijing regulators to get released in China, a source with knowledge of the decision tells The Hollywood Reporter. It will be the first film in the 45-year-old Mad Max movie franchise to open theatrically in the country, which is home to the world’s second-largest box office. Warner Bros. has applied for a June 7 release date for Furiosa, but the studio is still waiting for the final dating decision from China’s film regulators, according to THR‘s source.

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Since the pandemic, Hollywood hits have been earning far less in China than they once did, as the country’s moviegoing youth have undergone a generational shift in taste towards domestic fare. But the biggest U.S. action spectacles still do considerable business in the country. This year, Warner Bros and Legendary’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has earned $131.7 million and Dune: Part 2 has brought in about $50 million. Furiosa would appear well positioned to continue Warners’ winning streak in the market, thanks to the Chinese audiences enduring penchant for car chase action thrills (Univeral’s Fast X was the top-grossing U.S. film in China last year with $139.5 million).

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular Furiosa, the character played by Charlize Theron in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. The prequel follows the young Furiosa after she is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus, who goes to war with Fury Road tyrant Immortan Joe. While the two battle for dominance, Furiosa must survive and piece together the means to find her way home. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke co-star.

Fury Road world premiered at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, wowing international critics and going on to gross more than $380 million worldwide.

Following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival’s Palais des Festivals Wednesday night, Furiosa will release in France on May 22. The U.S. release date is set for May 24.

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