‘Tenet’ Tops $300M Global; China’s National Day Pics Lead 2020 WW Openers & Set IMAX Records – International Box Office

Nancy Tartaglione
·3 min read

Refresh for latest…: Christopher Nolan’s Tenet dipped a slight 29% at the international box office this weekend to add $11.5M from 57 markets. Offshore, the Warner Bros release has now grossed $262M. When combined with domestic, the global total is $307M.

Overseas, Tenet numbers — while impacted by coronavirus restrictions — are solid given the ongoing situation. Holds were strong this session including the UK (-4%), Australia (-8%), Korea (-8%), Japan (-18%), Germany (-24%), France (-25%), Mexico (-26%) and Italy (-39%).

Then again, Tenet is the only major release in (any) town for a long while, and there is turmoil ahead for Hollywood in an ever-changing landscape.

Amid continued release date shifts by the studios and news Cineworld is considering the temporary closure of its UK and U.S. cinemas, it’s China box office that continues to thrive.

As we have recently reported, the Middle Kingdom now appears even more likely to overtake North America in a COVID-fractured 2020.

That was borne out even further this session with two new Chinese movies moving to the top slots on the 2020 worldwide opening chart, and jumping ahead of The Eight Hundred’s launch.

Patriotic pic My People My Homeland has grossed an estimated RMB 1.07B ($157.5M) from its Thursday-Sunday bow. Although Enlight’s Jiang Ziya: Legend Of Deification had dominated the first two days of the frame, it ultimately came in 2nd with RMB 1.03B ($151.7M). The two films now occupy the Nos. 1 and 2 slots on the global 2020 opening chart, followed by The Eight Hundred — and this is just from the home market where capacity restrictions were only recently eased up to 75%.

While studios recoil and retrench on releasing tentpole movies, IMAX, thanks to its local-language strategy, enjoyed a superb $15M global weekend that was powered by record-breaking results in China for Legend Of Deification. That film grossed $11.5M in the format, good for 7.5% of the nationwide total. It also broke several IMAX China records including biggest single day and opening weekend for the National Day Holiday, best opening day and opening weekend for an animated title and top October weekend bow for a local title. What’s more, it’s also the 2nd highest IMAX debut ever for a local title in China behind The Wandering Earth. My People, My Homeland generated another $1.5M for IMAX in the market. In total, IMAX’s scores are 25% higher than last year during this same holiday period.

Elsewhere, STX’s Greenland, which is in theatrical release overseas despite recently opting for PVOD domestically, added $4.5M internationally this weekend for an offshore cume of $23.8M.

The key new market was Korea with a No. 3 start at an estimated $1.84M from 779 locations, which is 102% ahead of Angel Has Fallen. Korea was in the Chuseok Festival holiday beginning Wednesday, a time that traditionally sees folks travel à la the U.S.’ Thanksgiving. However, this has been muted given the current situation. Ahead of Greenland, comedy-inflected tear-jerker Pawn led play in Korea this weekend with an estimated $6M, followed by action drama The Golden Holiday with $3.2M.

Greenland otherwise held No. 1 in Spain for an estimated local total of $1.54M.

Meanwhile, Voltage Pictures’ YA hit After We Collided is now at an overseas cume of $39.7M. The current weekend generated $2.2M in 32 markets. Next weekend’s openings include Korea and Netherlands.

As for Disney, which recently and significantly pushed major titles out of 2020, this is the last weekend it is reporting for an as-yet undetermined time. Said the studio today, “With no major international openings in the immediate future for our current titles, we will pause global box office grosses for now and recommence Sunday reporting when our next significant title opens globally.”

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